Who was the old man?

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Originally Posted by Kitanna

This is quite baffling and it's going to bother me all day. The fact whoever the old man was was wearing a hat suggests it wasn't Saruman because he was hooded and cloaked. In which case it would have a Gandalf phantom, but unless Gandalf phantom's appears randomly at its own will I doubt the old man was part of Gandalf.

What a disguise?! Saruman puts on a hat and no one can figure out who he is.

But it could be some kind of wizard-walk after effect (i.e. Gandalf could travel faster than one would expect).