lesper, the switchers should be in pretty decent shape by 7/17. The snow is melting fast and, barring a cold snap or more snow, the only sensitive area that might be iced would be the cables. There was a fair amount of concern in June last year regarding when the switchbacks would open up due to spring snow levels, but by early July they were mostly OK. The cables opened up the second week of July with a dry-footed path, narrow though it was, at the outside edge.
I was up the 14th/15th of July last year and trekked through only moderate snow in two sections (Trail Camp and near the summit), and expect conditions to be not that much worse this year for a 7/20 hike. I suspect the cables might still be packed, but I also expect a pretty solid path beaten through them by then. At the worst, micro-spikes and trekkiing poles should be all you'd need for this, and any other patchy areas.
As this unusually heavy snow melts away over the coming weeks, the North Fork crossing may actually be the worst part of the trek. Those rock-hops may be under water for quite a while. This can be bypassed by taking the old trail up, near the waterfall and wooden bridge, instead of starting at the trailhead near the store. It intersects the MMWT on the other side of the NF, at the JM Wilderness sign.
Keep watching the TRs, but I believe we'll see dramatic improvement over the next 4 weeks if the heat continues to be dialed up.
