I will chime in here on leaving early. Yes, leave early, but please don't leave with the one day riders at 4:45 am. Having the one day riders start early was a good safety measure that Cascade put in place. Most of the one-day riders have a faster pace and ride in packs. It is better to let them get a head start so as not to cause congestion and excessive passing with varying speeds of riders. No matter what, you will encounter crowds in the first 30 or so miles, there is just no way to avoid it. Leave at 5:15 with the first wave of two day riders and just be prepared for a lot of riders. It will thin out once you get past the REI food stop.