Old Rocky Peak and Devil's Anvil

Hiked: 1/23/2015
Distance: 3.1 miles on use trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1647' (Old Rocky), 1565' (Devil's Anvil)
Prominence: Unknown
Elevation Gain: 1150'
Elevation Gain (in Sears Towers): 0.92
Round trip time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Lake Wohlford Road
Difficulty: Easy

Coming back from Black Mountain #1, I set my GPS for Starvation Mountain just north of Woodson Mountain. When I got to where I wanted to park, I was surrounded by no tresspassing signs, courtesy of the Highland Mesa Corporation. There was new home construction going on and they appeared to own the entire top of the mountain. I wasn't feeling in the mood to risk a trespassing hassle, so I added it to the disappointments of the day and headed toward Lake Wohlford Road and some unfinished business.

There are four peaklets close together just outside Escondido: Bottle Peak, Old Rocky, Devil's Anvil, and Tombstone. I had done the bookends and now wanted to pick up the middle two. I parked on Lake Wohlford Road where I had tackled Tombstone and headed up the use trail that had started to fill in with dark green grass. It had warmed up to the mid-70s and even though it was January, I kept an eye out for snakes. The start of the hike is steep, gaining over 700' in the first half mile. After you reach the main ridgeline, the peaklets can be approached with short gains and dips. I stayed on the trail past Tombstone and dropped down between it and Old Rocky, following a good use trail up. The views were very similar to those of nearby Tombstone but the scrambling easier.

Weird rock on Starvation Mountain

Tombstone Peak from Old Rocky summit

Bottle Peak from Old Rocky summit

Straddling a crack on the summit block

Instead of going back the way I came, I followed a wash down the other side of Old Rocky, bushwhacking a bit to get back to the trail. I took a poor use trail up to Devil's Anvil, and snapped some graffiti filled photos from the high point and lower down on the long slab of the Anvil itself. I found an easy class 2 crack to follow to gain the Anvil. It is a pretty cool flat slab, maybe 75' long. When I was ready to go, I looked for and found a better use trail down. I stayed on the trail all the way back to the car. This cluster of peaklets is good fun and would be better if done together instead of piece meal they way I did.

Devil's Anvil summit, the easy way up to the right

Graffitied up Anvil

Looking down from the Anvil

Native local art on the Anvil, maybe people will value this hundreds of years from now