Why Moria?

[Rhod the Red]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

I seem to recall it being said somewhere that, at the time the Fellowship left Rivendell (in December), the High Pass was impassable.

I'm reading

The Lord of the Rings

again, and no such thing is said. So the High Pass was clear, as far as I'm concerned.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Rhod

So the High Pass was clear, as far as I'm concerned.

Seems that's right. Not sure where I got that from. Perhaps an old board game where the play of a "bad weather" card can close the High Pass.

Which begs the question as to why the Fellowship did not take the High Pass. It was close to Rivendell and safer than other passages over the Misty Mountains, as it was guarded by the Beornings.

The only clue that I can find lies in the following passage in The Ring Goes South:

The country was much rougher and more barren than in the green vale of the Great River in Wilderland on the other side of the range, and their going would be slow; but they hoped in this way to escape the notice of unfriendly eyes. The spies of Sauron had hitherto seldom been seen in this empty country, and the paths were little known except to the people of Rivendell.

So it seems that the Fellowship was reckoned to have a greater prospect of remaining unseen by travelling west of the mountains, even thought the eastern path was probably the safer and swifter one.

[Rhod the Red]

Plus the High Pass route would make them take longer, if you look at the distance. Maybe a few weeks.

[JennyHallu]

Had they taken the High Pass, they would have come out on the other side of the Mountains far to the north. While the Pass itself might not have been closed, to travel south from there would have required passing dangerously close to Dol Guldur, an obstacle of the caliber of Minas Morgul. The Redhorn Gate left them in the uninhabited, neutral lands between the mountains and Lothlorien, all together a route less likely to draw Sauron's Eye. And as for the choice of Moria, Gandalf had passed through before safely. Were it not for Pippin and the well, it is likely that they could have gotten through in total secrecy, by an unguarded way.

[Rhod the Red]

With hindsight, the High Pass would have been safer. Speed was not as important as stealth in my view. One did not need to go near Dol Guldor to travel East of the Misty Mountains

[JennyHallu]

So take a pass known to be the haunt of Goblins? Wasn't it somewhere mentioned that the activities of the orcs in the pass had increased since TH?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Rhod the Red

Plus the High Pass route would make them take longer, if you look at the distance. Maybe a few weeks.

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

While the Pass itself might not have been closed, to travel south from there would have required passing dangerously close to Dol Guldur, an obstacle of the caliber of Minas Morgul.

I have seen these arguments presented before and don't really hold with them.

The High Pass was more or less on the same latitude as Rivendell and so would not have involved much of a greater distance than taking the Redhorn Pass (as was originally intended). It would take them slightly further north, but not by much. And the marginally greater distance is balanced by the fact that (as indicated in the quote I gave above), the country was much more barren, and the going therefore much slower, west of the mountains than east.

As for Dol Guldur, the Fellowship could have avoided coming too close by staying west of the Anduin, near to the Misty Mountains. And, in any event, by the time that they came anywhere near Dol Guldur, they would almost be within Lothlorien.

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

So take a pass known to be the haunt of Goblins? Wasn't it somewhere mentioned that the activities of the orcs in the pass had increased since TH?

No more so than elsewhere in the Misty Mountains. It is mentioned somewhere (The Council of Elrond, possibly) that, in the years following the Quest of Erebor, the Beornings took responsibility for guarding the High Pass and also the main crossing point over the Anduin (and that they charged a toll for doing so). The route was quite well-travelled and would probably have provided the safest passage across the mountains.

So the main reason for not taking the High Pass would appear to be that it would take the Fellowship though more densely populated country which, although nominally safer, would give rise to a greater risk of being spotted by Sauron's spies.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

I tend to agree with above arguments for heading East
or West, as opposed to South (although if the
Redhorn gate was open it would also be a good option).
They could have headed east past the Beornings and
then gone down the River Running, getting to the area
of the Sea of Rhun as a jumping off place for a dash to the
south side of the Ered Lithui (hey, beats passing by Shelob
and/or Minas Morgul as an entrance area!

Alternately, despite Gandalf's worries, immediately
after the Council of Rivendell head west to the Grey Havens,
get Cirdan to send a small fleet, 2-3 boats at most, south
of the Angren (any further by sea and there's corsair problems),
and then go by land east to Lebennin and South Ithilien.
Then either see the giant spider or head east around the
mountains and so into south Mordor.
Sea travel by elf sailors (hugging the coast) would be much
quicker, and being near shore they could evade any enemy ships
or stormy weather.

There are problems with any route. Difficulties with the sea
route include evading armies moving north, the length of the
trip around mountains (unless JRRT invents another pass- or
moves Shelob around ) and being stopped by Denethor.