A small but adventurous group of four Arizona Trailblazers (Doug East, Doug’s daughter Michelle East, Jenni Jacobs, and hike leader Chuck Parsons) finally reaches the Six-Shooter Canyon trailhead after a couple of false starts. Major road construction in the area created problems in finding a trailhead that is already not among the easiest to locate. Six-Shooter is in the Pinal Mountains about ten miles south of the Globe/Miami area.

The hike is 9.4 miles round trip, with a hard 2,800 feet of elevation gain, and we start climbing through a series of switchbacks almost immediately after striking out from the trailhead.

If you really want to give your heart and lungs a major workout, then this is a hike you should check out.

About a mile and a half up the trail we hit a steep ridgeline and begin to get terrific views, such as this one, of the Globe/Miami area far below the trail. The vast copper mining operations that built this area lie to the far left in the picture.

We are pleasantly surprised to see a number of blazing red big tooth maples, such as this fine specimen, at the very peak of their fall color transformation. Apparently, the unusually warm fall temperatures have delayed the turning of the trees, even at this higher elevation and this late in the season.

The trail starts out in a typical forest of scrub brush, oak, and manzanita at the 4,800’ trailhead, before gradually transitioning to juniper, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir at the 6,000' to 7,000' level, and finally ending with a number of changing aspen at the higher elevations above 7,000'.

We couldn’t ask for more perfect hiking weather on this beautiful fall day in the Pinal Mountains, with temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees under clear blue skies with just a hint of wispy cirrus clouds drifting high overhead.

The vibrations of approaching footsteps signal this tarantula to go on high alert and seek an escape route out of harm’s way, as he scurries back to his burrow. Since they are normally nocturnal, we rarely see these interesting little creatures on our day hikes, especially above 5,000 feet, so it is a special treat to stop and observe this one, if only for a minute or two.

He poses only briefly enough to allow a few quick pictures, before retreating to his hidden burrow nearby. We leave him in peace and continue moving up the trail.

We still have a few miles of hiking and a lot of elevation gain before reaching trail’s end.

Hiking through a long series of switchbacks, we continue making our way onward and upward (with the key emphasis on upward), steadily gaining elevation as we draw closer to our turn-around point – Ferndell Spring at 7,600 feet.

The feel and the smell of Fall hangs heavily in the air, with the temperature hovering around 60 degrees throughout the day.

Sections of the trail are thickly carpeted with a multi-hued layer of fallen leaves that continue to rain down from the overhead canopy.

Above the 7,000-foot level we begin to see small stands of aspen, such as this one, sporting their full fall colors of striking golden yellow leaves.

Top of the trail at last!

Michelle East, Jenni Jacobs, and Doug East take a well-earned breather on a cool stone bench after making the last long uphill grind past Ferndell Spring to the end of the trail at 7,600 feet.

Filtered sunlight is shimmering through the tree tops, a cool breeze is blowing in the Pinals, and we are surrounded by golden aspen trees at the peak of their fall colors.

Unfortunately, the spring is almost anti-climatic. We are expecting to see something similar to Horton Springs (Mogollon Rim) bubbling out of a hillside, but instead find nothing more than a set of ugly pipes sitting on a thick concrete slab, surrounded by heavy chain-link fence.

We take in the views and enjoy the fresh mountain air, before heading back down the trail to Six-Shooter Canyon and beyond. Despite the minor disappointment of Ferndell Spring, Six-Shooter is still a terrific hike and a great workout, and we will be back again one day.