[pct-l] Ice axe needed for late Sierra entry?

[Travis Beals]

My wife and I are section-hiking, and are planning to enter the  
Sierras (i.e., reach Kennedy Meadows) in early July. We'll also be  
moving slowly, at least initially. Since it seems to be an average  
snow year (according to postholer.com and the discussion on this  
list), are we likely to need ice axes and/or crampons?

We have no experience using ice axes, so we're hoping the answer is  
no. Any comments would be much appreciated, especially from anyone who  
has experience entering the Sierras 3 - 4 weeks after "Ray Day". It  
would also be helpful to know where we're likely to encounter tricky  
snow patches given the late entry date.

Finally, any idea what we can expect in terms of mosquitoes and stream  
crossings, given that we're going to be a couple weeks behind the  
majority of thru-hikers?

Thanks again!

-Travis