I know that writing this will completely change your perception of our honeymoon adventure but sometimes it doesn’t seem right to not share a complete picture of what outdoor escapades can really be like.
Our overnight into Hackberry Canyon was beautiful, don’t get me wrong.
And I seemed to only have taken pictures of the beautiful, there was plenty of it to capture.
The trail starts out in a slot canyon that we waded through for a little over two miles. As we progressed, the canyon widened and there are boot paths on the deposited sediment where trees and foliage have taken hold. There was, also, a lot of reminders that this amazing canyon is home to cattle graving on BLM land because there were a plethora of cow droppings everywhere. Most of the time, there were more hoof prints than boot prints.
The BLM administers nearly 18,000 permits and leases held by ranchers who graze their livestock, mostly cattle and sheep, at least part of the year on more than 21,000 allotments. Permits and leases generally cover a 10-year period and are renewable if the BLM determines that the terms and conditions of the expiring permit or lease are being met. The amount of grazing that takes place each year on BLM-managed public lands can be affected by such factors as drought, wildfire, and market conditions.
Gary (my hubby) and I looked at each other and wondered if we had brought enough water because the further we walked into the canyon, the less we had any desire to take advantage of the water running at our feet even though we had brought filters. Thank goodness we each had 3-4 liters.
About a mile and a half in we came across a barbed wire fence and this gave us hope that the dung landmines we were dodging would now cease.
Nope.
It only got worse. For as the canyon widened and the surface area for cottonwood trees increased, so did the space and shade for cattle to congregate. Although we didn’t see a single cow our entire trip, you would have thought we were walking through a cattle yard in some places.
There was one point at about 4 miles in that it was so bad Gary started mumbling about our voyage through the “fecal forest” and how he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.
As long as we were in the canyon on our trip, the piles never ended. Even when we took a side trip through Sam Pollock Canyon, over large piles of rocks and such, there were still mounds of guano. Cows may not be very smart but they clearly are good at bouldering.
The only time we didn’t have to maneuver cow chips was when we scrambled up the side of Sam Pollock Canyon the morning of our second day to get some views. There, it was miraculously free of excrement.
We did end up deciding to use some of the water in the creek just in case we ran low on our hike out. We both filtered with a Sawyer mini filter and boiled it. I even added electrolyte powder for good measure.
What we didn’t drink by the end of our hike was dumped as soon as we got to the car and replaced with the bottled water we had waiting for us.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was a unique and fun experience I wouldn’t want to have missed out on. Would I go back again? Maybe not. Not so much for the cow manure but because there are very few hikes I repeat. So many to see, so little time! You can read my overview trip report if you would like to know where to find this gorgeous, yet imperfect, hike.
Editor’s note: I’m sure you are saying to yourself, “Um, yeah, I’m taking this one off my list.” But the reality is, A LOT of hiking and backpacking is like this. Especially the pretty destinations you see on social media. For every beautiful tropical beach or rocky mountain high, there were more than likely a voyage through bugs, poop, and other unmentionables. You probably have your own story to tell!
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