Passes of the Misty Mountains

[Bruce N H]

Hi all,

In a relatively recent session of exploring I asked what options the company of the Ring would have to cross the mountains. In reading ahead in the The Ring Goes South (a couple of pages) I found some data:

"Many had gone east and south; and some of these had crossed the Mountains and entered Mirkwood, while others had climbed the pass at the sources of the Gladden River, and had come down into Wilderland and over the Gladden Fields and so at length had reached the old home of Radagast at Rhosgobel. Radagast was not there; and they had returned over the high pass that was called the Redhorn Gate."

So we have evidence of four places to cross the mountains:
1. the pass (passes actually, according to the Hobbit, but most are "cheats and deceptions") near Rivendell that connects the East Road and the Old Forest Road
2. a pass near the sources of the Gladden River
3. Moria (under) and the Redhorn Gate (over) and finally
4. The Gap of Rohan.
I suppose we could also include the north end around Mt. Gundabad (not the best route)

Bruce/Bricktales

 

[Flammifer]

Hi Bruce,

I think you have listed all the passes we know about for sure. However, looking at the map, there is at least one other likely pass. That is up in the northern Ettenmoors, at the headwaters of the Mitheithel River. That river descends from the Misty Mountains on the western side, and there is an unnamed tributary of the Anduin which springs from about the same location and flows out of the mountains on the eastern side. Between the headwaters of these two rivers would be a likely place for a pass.

 

[Bruce N H]

Looking at the map, I agree that that could likely be the site of a pass. Looking closely at the Christopher Tolkien map, there's also a spot just north of Fangorn where the mountains are narrower (they look even narrower if you look at the updated map Christopher made for Unfinished Tales), so maybe there is a pass around there, but I doubt there would have been a lot of travel through that area between Lorien and Fangorn - elves would go through the nearer Redhorn Gate, Dwarves (of old) would go through Moria, and men wouldn't really be traveling in that area.

BTW, googling the Mitheithel to get a map (because I'm too lazy to walk all the way downstairs to where my books are) (oh, wait, there's the Atlas of ME right there) I found a fun site - the Middle Earth Angling Guide - http://www.dreamborn.com/m_guide.html - It's like a field book to fishing the rivers and lakes found in the stories.

Random aside - looking at the map, it strikes me that I've always been imagining Dunland in the wrong place. I always just thought it was directly west and maybe a little south of the Gap of Rohan, along the Isen river between Orthanc and the sea. But instead it's to the north along the Misty Mountains.

Bruce