Hike and Sip #3: Wildcat Ridge Hawk Watch/Split Rock Reservoir and Unionville Vineyards

This hike involved another predawn start for us to see if we could catch sunrise views at the top of Wildcat Ridge (Rockaway Township, NJ).  We decided to start our hike at the trailhead parking on Upper Hibernia Road.  As we arrived, a bow hunter pulled up. “Wow, I rarely share this lot with hikers this early in the morning!”  We started out with our headlamps under the moonlight, cutting left on a yellow blazed trail, but we heard our hunter friend calling out to us in the dark. “You’re going the wrong way, the ridge will be straight on!”  So, we retraced our steps carried on a bit further on the gravel path then cut into the woods where there “appeared” to be a trailhead.  We probably should have stuck with our original plan!  We meandered along what looked to be an old two track road which eventually seemed to end.  We used the Alltrails app and our GPS and (with a few stops and starts) managed to navigate our way back to a proper hiking trail.  Likely the passage would have made more sense in the daylight, but the trees kept us in full darkness until just before the crest. After a comfortable moderate climb, we made it to the “hawk watch” lookout, about 1030 feet above sea level, with a wide vista opening to three cardinal points East, South and West, just as the sun was beginning to peek over the eastern horizon.  The view was breathtaking, the sun cast a warm pink-orange glow that lit up the fall foliage. 

We made our way down from the ridge, eventually doing some rock hopping across a fast-flowing stream then approached the ruins of the Split Rock Furnace.  This 32-foot-high charcoal-fired furnace was built in 1862 to smelt magnetite ore into iron that was needed for the Civil War.  It operated for about 10 years and was abandoned in the 1870’s. According to historians, the massive stack constructed by Andrew B. Cobb, “supported a tall brick lined chamber. Burning charcoal melted the ore at 2500 degrees creating molten iron which was collected at the bottom of the furnace.” This is Morris County’s only surviving iron furnace and is listed on the State and National Registers of Historical Sites.

​We climbed past the furnace up to Split Rock Road (a gravel road) crossing a large manmade modern dam and cut back into the woods following the western side of the Reservoir on the Four Birds Trail heading north, enjoying the autumn lake views and hugging the shore of the lake. We didn’t manage to see a hawk on at the ridge but as we hiked along the reservoir, we caught a glimpse of a hawk in the trees up the hill and heard its shrill call.

We reversed course, crossing back over Split Rock Road and made our way to Solar Pond Road where we came upon Beaver Pond, aptly named, as there were two large beaver dens in the water, along with a rich amount of flora, waterlilies and wildflowers. This hike was a gem. There was almost no other foot traffic and it had great scenery changes -- vistas, tumbling streams, historic ruins, lakeshore views -- all in a 7-mile loop.

After our hike we drove an hour south (Route 287 to 202) to Unionville in Hunterdon County to visit one of my favorite New Jersey destinations, Unionville Vineyards.  It was a bit out of the way for this particular hike, but well worth the trek for us, as it was release weekend for their “The Big O” Red Montage wine. Frankly, if you are hiking ANYWHERE out on Route 78 West, especially in the Round Valley/Cushetunk area, this vineyard is the place to visit.  First, you can’t beat the setting. The winery is on a large farm complete with a big red barn (where the indoor tasting room is located), views of the rolling vineyards and green horse pastures in the distance, plenty of space to spread out on, and a beautiful old 1858 farm house at the top of the property.  There are picnic tables under 100+ year old oaks and a lovely stone patio toward the top of the property.  The owners have set up a large open outdoor tent for suitably spaced wine tasting sessions (I would highly recommend a tasting if you haven't been before the staff is knowledgable and enthusiastic. You can book timed tasting reservations.) but you can also just show up, pick a spot for a picnic and buy a bottle.  And you can’t go wrong with any of this vineyard's bottles! Unionville Vineyards wines are, in my estimation, are some of the best crafted wines in the state. They are known for their Chardonnays which are well balanced, using neutral French oak carefully and judiciously to create subtle and complex nuanced white wines that highlight the terroir and the natural qualities of the fruit. They are simply a pleasure to drink. I keep bottles of the Pheasant Hill Chardonnay on hand for special occasions...  And each winter I indulge in their numbered “Vat” Port releases too…

​But I digress. Here’s why we made the trek - to try the latest release of the 2017 The Big O Montage Red, a Bordeaux style blend. In fact, I reviewed the 2011 release of The Big O in 2015, and I seem to come back to this Unionville Vineyards montage red over and over again.  The 2017 The Big O is a blend of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Aromas of black cherry and a faint sweet tobacco on the nose, it is a medium bodied red with tart red fruit on the palate. I taste red currant/strawberry but also peppery, spicy notes common to Cabernet Franc.  A cool wine fact: the "green" vegetal herbal flavors, in wine - things like bell pepper/green peppercorn/roasted red pepper/spiced cayenne chocolate flavors often found in Cabernet Francs are caused by a group of aroma compounds called methoxypyrazines or “pyrazines” for short.  The  latest release of The Big O has bright acidity and good structure with angular tannins which will only benefit from a bit of aging over the next few years. This wine would be a great accompaniment to red meats, particularly heartier fall versions that are grilled or roasted with herbs. I think it would be excellent with herb crusted lamb. Okay, now I’m hungry – time for dinner!