Big Dog

The most commonly run line is to take the narrow center chute and paddle hard towards the right.  If you do not make the move properly, the current will push you back to the left towards an undercut boulder.  If you eddy out on the left above the rapid, you will be perfectly set up to enter the rapid at the right angle and with enough momentum. 

When boaters exit Little Dog, they have a choice.   Paddlers can head right to a small take-out, from where it is easy to scout, and easy to portage if so desired.   At higher flows it can be very difficult to get into this eddy.   Alternatively, boaters can paddle left towards several different eddies behind boulders.   The lowest left side eddy situates one perfectly to run the center chute. 

During busy releases when flows are 1600 cfs, the take out here can get very crowded.  Rafts can tie up about 30 feet upstream where ledges come down to water level. 

At the 1600 cfs release level, the most commonly used line by kayakers was to take the center entrance and drop into a narrow seam between the big rock on the left and the big hydraulic on the right.  From there they paddled through a narrow gap to the right of a yellow rock.

A few kayakers got stuck in a backed up hole halfway down on the right which discouraged others from going that direction.