The Mountain Pass (River Gladden)

[Baldrick0712]

I have just received my complementary PDF "Journeys and Maps" after pre-ordering it at the weekend (thanks C7!) and I notice that there is a pass through the Misty Mountains near the source of the River Gladden between the High Pass and Moria. Why didn't the Fellowship try this pass in The Lord of the Rings? It's been a while since I last read it so forgive me if this is answered in the trilogy.

[Indur Dawndeath]

I have just received my complementary PDF "Journeys and Maps" after pre-ordering it at the weekend (thanks C7!) and I notice that there is a pass through the Misty Mountains near the source of the River Gladden between the High Pass and Moria. Why didn't the Fellowship try this pass in The Lord of the Rings? It's been a while since I last read it so forgive me if this is answered in the trilogy.

I didn't look, but the fellowship did try Redhorn pass

[Otaku-sempai]

I didn't look, but the fellowship did try Redhorn pass

The Redhorn Pass is the one near Moria. Baldrick means the Mountain Pass about 100 miles north of Moria. In fact, some of Elrond's scouts used that pass to reach Rhosgobel in search of Radagast only to find he was not at home and could not be located. I would guess that the Fellowship used the Redhorn Pass because it brought them farther south and when it proved impossible to negotiate they did not wish to backtrack for such a great distance.

[zedturtle]

The Fellowship was trying to get to Mordor by the fastest and safest way possible. They intended to take the Gap of Rohan (for speed), but Saruman joining Team Evil™ made that a bad choice. The Mountain Pass comes out near the Gladden Fields (and thus the Dwimmerhorn) and so probably wasn't a first choice.

The Redhorn Pass comes out near Lothlórien, which gives them the other thing they were wanting (safety). Of course, it didn't quite work out that way, but then again there must be bad days for us to appreciate the good ones.

[Earendil]

I actually noticed this on my most recent rereading of LOTR. In fact Tolkien doesn't give any explicit reason for the Fellowship not to try Mountain Pass.

They try the pass of Cardhras first, which we can assume is the better route for going south. But when they fail at Caradhras, they never even mention Mountain pass as a possibility. Gandalf says their choice then is to go through Moria or head back to Rivendell.

He explains they need to avoid the Gap of Rohan because it's too close to Saruman. Boromir suggests crossing the Isen and heading round the White Mountains to come into Gondor from the west, but Gandalf says that'll take too long and is also very dangerous.

The only answer I could see was that Gandalf also says that their open attempt at the pass has made things more dangerous, and they need to vanish for a while and cover their trail. This may imply that he thinks the Mountain pass will be where they would be expected to try next, and so it may be watched and therefore too dangerous. Gandalf's fears seem to be right, as shortly after that they're attacked by Wargs!

[zedturtle]

Remember also that Gandalf wanted to go the Moria route and Aragorn wanted to go via Redhorn... so his list of remaining choices is a bit self-serving.

I just think his player wanted to try out his new l33t build.

[Otaku-sempai]

Remember that it is winter by the time the Fellowship sets out from Rivendell. The Redhorn Pass might be the only one north of the Gap of Rohan that is theoretically negotiable.

[Majestic]

Remember that it is winter by the time the Fellowship sets out from Rivendell. The Redhorn Pass might be the only one north of the Gap of Rohan that is theoretically negotiable.

One has to wonder what they were thinking! Didn't they realize they were going to have to make Fatigue tests every three days!?!

My players would have refused to budge until after Rivendell's groundhog saw his shadow.

[Otaku-sempai]

One has to wonder what they were thinking! Didn't they realize they were going to have to make Fatigue tests every three days!?!

My players would have refused to budge until after Rivendell's groundhog saw his shadow.

As it was, the Fellowship didn't set out until two months after the Council of Elrond. Further delay would have ensured Sauron's victory.

[Rich H]

Remember that it is winter by the time the Fellowship sets out from Rivendell. The Redhorn Pass might be the only one north of the Gap of Rohan that is theoretically negotiable.

That was my assumption; anything further north would simply have been impossible to negotiate given the time of year. Wasn't there some mention of it at the Council of Elrond or am I misremembering things?