Now that's a mountain!

 Today's adventure was scaling Debar Mountain.

I expected this to be a tough climb and it was - for me anyway!

We headed out from our campground to the mountain - about 30 minutes from us.  We had to travel a dirt road to get to the trail head.

The first course of business upon getting out was to spray ourselves and the dogs with bug spray as we were SWARMED the second we stepped out of the car.  I use this dog-safe bug spray on the dogs and on me as I hate the Deet smell and the less harsh chemicals that work, the better!

Then we got their backpacks on which I had pre-loaded with food and drink and other essentials. .

The first part of the trail was deceptively easy.  We had signed in at the trail head and saw that we were the first ones to climb today and so we let the dogs run free.  Most areas of the Adirondacks dogs are allowed off leash but it's sometimes hard to know where those areas are.  But since we didn't expect to see anyone, we let the run and explore.

It was a nice long walk gradually getting harder and harder.  Booker, being the typical teenager dog wise was exploring everywhere.  

At mile 3 we came to a lean to.  Lots of smells here!

  

This was when the real work began.

The trail climbed steeply and sharply over sheer rock faces and staircases made of uneven stones.

Booker ran up all of it like a mountain goat.  Sisko was a little more careful.

Finally we arrived at the summit!  We took the backpacks off for some snacks and to enjoy the view.  The air was cool and crisp at the top of the mountain.

After we hung out for a while it was time to head back down.  For me, navigating down is harder than going up.  The danger of falling is real.

Booker was anxious to just run down the mountain and I had to keep keep the dogs behind me and tell them to wait while I climbed down to a safe spot and then called them to me.  I was worried of them losing their footing, but they handled it much easier than I did!

Finally we arrived back at the easier trail sectioned and finished out the hike.  It took over 4 hours to travel the just over 7 mile distance.  We didn't see one other human, which is surprising for an Adirondack Mountain in July.

Then it was time to head back to our campsite for some well deserved dinner and relaxation.