The first sign that the trail's warm . . . vehicles with kayaks, 
then a parking lot filled with kayak racks and play boats?  
Yesterday, the crowd in Great Falls parking lot was small for a 
Sunday mornin with only three or four vehicles.   
   Climbing down to Fisherman's Eddy put-in is acknowledged as the 
most difficult part of the adventure save climbing back out of the 
gorge. I paddled Mather gorge in my new prijon samuri demo which fits 
me a little loose with an oversize cockpit but the benefit of only 
having to slightly angle my feet.
   After climbing down to the eddy, I had the pleasure of sliding 
through four feet of foam washed up on the river's sides below the 
falls.  This was the first sense that I had after scouting it from 
100 feet above that the water might be a little pushier than perhaps 
I had been used to (my Lochsa experience notwithstanding). Peel out 
from the eddy avoid pillow rock, run S-turn while ducking into a 
couple of eddies along the way and then surf, surf, surf, and spin, 
spin, spin, then flip, flip and throw-in and unplanned cartwheel.  
That's about it, but for a twenty minute drive from downtown DC you 
have to be envious!
   Compared to the Lehigh two weeks ago the water was warm -- 50 
degrees -- according to the locals, the gauge at Little Falls 4.5ft 
rating Mather gorge at 16,000cfs.  
   I guess the crowds were thin because of the level being high.  
Believe it or not I was paddling the smallest boat on the river and 
ended up 2 for 20 catching the front surfing wave but managed some 
hair-raising rides on the second and third crashing standing waves 
which pretty much had there way with the samuri much to my delight.  
It was interesting to hear all of the locals talk about how they've 
kept their piroutte S's, Overflows, Crossfires, Frankensteins, etc. 
just for surfing and playing in the gorge.

Grant