While camping at Meacham Lake State campground, my pup Dingo and I hiked Debar Mountain. We had started from the trailhead at 9:30 AM. Soon after signing in, we were off. The trail starts very easily walking, following along what must have been a jeep trail at one time and now appears to be a snowmobile trail in the winter. It is very easy walking well past the junction to go left to Debar mountain or go right towards Debar Meadows and onto County Route 26. From here, there is not much climbing for a while, then it becomes gradually uphill, eventually arriving at the Leanto. The trail was wet in sections up till now, but nothing that cannot be managed by rock hopping through.
From the Leanto, the trail gets steeper and wetter as you climb up through drainage at times. Just past the leanto are the remnants of the foundation on your left; not sure if it was a Ranger's cabin or some other building. One could easily miss it if they don't pay attention.
From there, the real climbing begins, and the trail gets steeper, to the point you gain several hundred feet in a short distance. It is a short distance, but the mountain makes you work for the summit.
We arrived at the summit at about 1230 and enjoyed a nice break. We didn't have much for views but still enjoyed the hike. We had our lunch, took some pictures, and noticed several anchor bolts at the summit that were reported to have been a transmitter site and/or a fire tower. There was an old surveyor mark or pin. I'm sure there is a lot of history on this mountain, and I had found some along the way.
The return trip down to the Leanto was uneventful. Much care was given to the footing as it had been a wet day and slippery. The slide that we came to, probably halfway from the Leanto, gives an idea of the trail's steepness. I would think this section could be a challenge in the winter.
We arrived back at the Leanto at 1:40, took a short break, and verified the outhouse worked.
The rest of the hike back to the trailhead was uneventful, arriving at 3 PM.