Jem is working his way through the Trollshaws now, and I took the road seldom travelled. The view along this path is one of many breathtaking vistas in the game. It also holds a certain sentiment for me.

Last summer I played through the 10-day free trial. Towards the end of it, I had gotten my hunter (a different character on a different server) to level 17. I had seen the Shire and Bree, passed by Weathertop, and I was determined to see Rivendell before my account expired. (At that time, the trial was only a change of pace from WoW, which I was still very much involved in.)


Of course, if you're level 17 you can't just stroll into Rivendell. It took me most of a day to make it through the latter half of the Lonelands and across the Shaws to get to the Ford of Bruinen. Luckily, I learned very quickly that the Trollshaws are not safe at night. It was just like the Old Forest, with twice as many creepy things running around in the dark. In the Shaws, however, those creepy things were between twice and thrice my level.


I stood in the river for a time, taking a breath and waiting for dawn. Examining my map, and comparing it to completed ones, I realized that there was a travel path and a Milestone south of me. I had long ago learned the advantage of getting travel locations and checkpoints while exploring an area you really shouldn't be in, so I decided to go get it as it was my last stop before Rivendell.


I found I could not follow the road to Echad Candellath--it was overrun with aggressive bears and huge lizards. So I decided to follow it down the river, swimming far enough from shore that I didn't attract their attention. Then I discovered unusual swamp monsters on the other side, and had to make sure I didn't stray too far east. Keep in mind that at the time I hadn't seen either of these creatures before. Finally, I found a shallow inlet where the road veered west again, and made my way to shore.

Heading up the hill, I was surprised to find that the deer in this forest were aggressive! At least they didn't pursue if I kept moving. But since I didn't really know where I was going, there was a lot of jumping off banks and running into hillsides I couldn't climb. Finally I found the elf standing along the path that I now know is the landmark for the hidden camp.


After making my way over the crest of the hill and binding my map to the milestone, I took assessment of my situation. At least now, if I died and was forced back into Bree, I could use my map to return and not lose too much progress.

Little did I know it would be the furthest I could get on my own...

Continued in The Road to Rivendell