Day 11: Battling Weather

Yesterday I started out for another long walk. The day started out gorgeous, clear blue skies, chirping birds, the smell of summer flowers, and a wonderful temperature (none of this scorching hot 80% humidity stuff I had previously been dealing with). But nature again decided to rain on my parade. I barely got 1.06 miles (1.7 km) in before I was chased inside by torrential downpours and lightning.
 

Tolkien doesn’t write terribly much about weather conditions during the Shire portion of the hobbits’ journey. Weather conditions will play a larger role once Tom Bombadil’s house is reached, but again that is far ahead in my journey. I have concluded that the hobbits had good weather for their journey to Crickhollow. Honestly, I am quite jealous of their good fortune with the weather and do hope that God is not conspiring against me in my endeavor to journey to Mordor…

For Frodo, the first and last day in Crickhollow dawns early. Sam, Merry, and Pippin have elected to join Frodo on his journey with Fredegar Bolger (“Fatty”) staying behind to give the appearance that Frodo remains in his Crickhollow house. True to his word, Frodo doesn’t even take a day in Crickhollow. He only remains long enough to enjoy a bath, supper, his conspiracy being unmasked, and a good breakfast. The hobbits going on the journey arise early and prepare their ponies. Merry has decided to take the path through the Old Forest to avoid being seen out on the road. Fatty despairs that the Old Forest is as dangerous as the black riders the company of hobbits has come to fear. As a Brandybuck, Merry assures Frodo and Fatty that his kin have been in the forest several times and that he can lead the way through. All is settled and the hobbits agree to leave the next morning.

In a fitting tribute to Bilbo and his adventures (and also Tolkien’s love of verse), the hobbits sing they a song modeled after the dwarf-song that started Bilbo on his adventure long ago:

Farwell we call to hearth and hall!

Though wind may blow and rain may fall,

We must away ere break of fay

Far over wood and mountain tall.

 

To Rivendell where Elves yet dwell

In glades beneath the misty fell,

Through moor and waster we ride in haste,

And whither then we cannot tell.

 

With foes ahead, behind us dread,

Beneath the sky shall be our bed,

Until at last our toil be passed,

Our journey done, our errand sped.

We must away! We must away!

We ride before the break of day!

Though the hobbits have already left their homes and have set out on a dangerous journey, this song marks a momentous moment. This song of parting signifies the hobbits last night in familiar territory and culture, it signals the last night spent in the comfort of home, and signifies the last night together. From this point, The Lord of the Rings takes a turn towards the perilous and will grow extremely dangerous the farther is goes until the reader, along with many of the characters, has lost nearly all hope of a happy ending.
 
The Road Goes Ever On and On,
~Daisy Buttons