Hiking from Gladden Fields to Rivendell

[Valandil]

Working my way through "Unfinished Tales" once more.

Can't help being this way, but one thing that has always struck me about "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields" was how much further Isildur and Company still had to hike in what they planned for their last ten days - especially since it included taking the High Pass over the Misty Mountains.

When they begin, we're told it's the 5th of September (or a fairly near equivalent - maybe it would be the waning days of August on our calendar). They plan to march from Osgiliath to Rivendell in 40 days, arriving on or about on their October 15th (our October 6-7?).

This story gives us lots of notes about Numenorean distances and marching practices. It boils down to - they would typically march 24 miles per day - Eight 3-mile marches with rest periods between each. About 40 km for you folks on Metric System.

When they meet up with the Orcs at the Gladden Fields, they are 30 days in. That would be 720 miles (1200 km) if they stuck with that plan. If the maps are an accurate depiction and my estimating is correct - it looks like they had actually made about 650 miles. This depends on their exact route - but since they marched on the east side of Anduin, I suspect they went straight north on the road through Ithilien, due north when the road went east and passed to the east side of Emyn Muil before making their way closer to the River.

They also had what looks like at least 275-300 miles to go in the 10 days that they still planned to march. Again - part of this involves going over the mountains, which I imagine would take several days itself.

Not a major thing maybe, but it's the sort of thing I think about. They hit some rain along the way, and maybe that slowed them a little. Maybe they were a few days march behind where they wanted to be. And if not waylaid by the Orcs, might not have arrived in Rivendell until October 20 or later. So, probably not so dreadful. Though I wonder how long the High Pass would be passable as winter neared. Probably gets snowed in long before the lower parts.