Sow Hole #7021

This is an out-and-back hike up a mountain canyon. It ends at a natural spring that has been developed into a watering hole for cattle. When we first arrived at the parking area to the west of the trailhead, we went up and down the river trying to find the shallowest crossing. The shallowest spot we could find was just to the east of the parking area along the roadway. The shallowest spot was only 6 inches deep, but since the river was over 10 feet wide, we all ended up with wet feet right at the start of the hike anyway. Once across the river, we went south through the meadow until the mouth of the canyon. At that point, we came across a cattle gate with an established trail on the other side. About 0.25 miles up the trail, a trail broke away to the southwest. It was signed as Pig Hole Trail. We continued up the trail. We did the trail in mid-August, so the stream next to the trail was dry. We had to cross the stream bed twice on the way up. Other than those two crossings, there were no real obstructions for hikers. We brought a very active and friendly 1-year-old dog with us and let him run free of his leash for most of the trail. He was in heaven! However, things got a little tense once we reached the watering hole at the top. There were two calves and their mothers at the watering hole. Our dog immediately raised his shackles and started growling. Even though we immediately put his leash on, he had scared the cows and their calves. They turned and ran. A larger group of cattle might have caught us in their mini-stampede!