I suppose I'm a bit late in the starting, but my yellow boots left Bag End last monday. Since then I've run 14.5 miles, which puts me somewhere on the outskirts of Hobbiton. I should hope I can catch up with some of you. I suppose we shall see.

Iarwwain

I really liked the Hobbit Walking Party. So cute!! I'll probably keep saying that even if it doesn't win! I guess that might be better, because then I'd have two to choose from. LOL!

Speaking of Hobbit Walking Parties, this one's getting so nice and busy! Hi everyone! (again)

Speaking of Milestones to Mordor, except for The Ring Goes South, won't it be easier to figure out milestones for the Walk to Mordor than it is between Bag-End and Rivendell? And we can all cook Rabbit Stew when we are in Ithilien. (If no rabbit available, chicken stew could be allowed.) Of course, the sad part is that our stop in Lorien will be all too brief. But then we get Lembas! Sigh... oh, to spend a month in Lorien for real...

Speaking of that, who is going to take a nice rest at Rivendell? Okay, not three months, but it does seem like we should celebrate somehow. Maybe everyone should visit their favorite uncle or aunt, whether blood-relative or adopted. I suppose since Frodo was also adopted that could also mean parents. So-- who's your Bilbo?

[ July 18, 2003: Message edited by: Linnamalle ]

The results of the WtR motto contest are now posted on the Éowyn Challenge page. Modesty prevents me from naming the winner, but I’m sure we’re all happy to have 100 points for the Barrow-Downs team!

(Oh, to Mordor with modesty!! *To the strains of “There She Is”, Estelyn clutches her crown, sobbing dramatically. She stammers thanks to all even remotely involved before realizing that this is not the parody RPG thread. Embarrassed, she slinks away silently… )

Oh! Congratulations, Estelyn! I'm so proud of you!

And that's perfect! Since I'm also personally sticking with "Hobbit Walking Party" on the side, I get one profound motto-- yours-- and one cute one. I like it!! Lol!

Congrats Estelyn! I like the motto you chose.

Well, I'm still here, at 175 miles. I really need to stop turning down offers to go to the pool in favor of the Downs. (Not that there's anything wrong with spending eight hours a day on the Downs...)

Excellent motto Estelyn, and very true to boot! Congratulations!

Thanks, all! Hilde, I'm curious - now that the voting is over, will you please tell us which was your motto? And did anyone else enter one?

Contgrats Estelyn.

I didn't enter a motto but I did vote for yours. Terrific motto. Well done. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

"Walk to Rivendell: Take the Challenge"

A pretty poor attempt, (like a television ad), but it is what sprang to mind. You'd think that with all the time to ponder a phase while walking.... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I liked the one that was endurance in elvish and there was another that I can not remember at the moment.

Three cheers for Estelyn...

Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip HOORAY!

I've made 300 miles!

Hip hip hooray
etc.

Arafangwen has been staying in a dorm for the past two weeks and was way too far away from both the dance building and the cafeteria.
Now south of the Road at 314 miles, and still trying too figure out the rest of her miles, Arafangwen stopped by the roadside for a well deserved two day rest while searching her bags for her calculator(so middle earth-ish, I know). On a sidenote, has anyone else noticed how close summer is to an end? It just began and it's almost over [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] . (sorry about the downer ending there guys)

Galenfea turned from looking towards Hobbiton and considered the job in hand. Everyone else seemed to be well ahead of her, and she wasn't making good progress. She got out her map to plan the next stage of her journey, and sighed. "At this rate I'll never get to Rivendell! Never mind, if I try to get in a few miles daily I've got the summer to walk through." she tightened a strap on her rucksack and trampe on.

I started a little while ago, and am not making fast progress!

***
We have walked 320 miles.
We are still south of the Road (314).
It is 8 miles to the next landmark.
We still have 138 miles to Rivendell.
***
It seemed too much to hope that the Riders had already lost their trail again. Perhaps they were waiting to make some ambush in a narrow place?

[ July 20, 2003: Message edited by: ArwenBaggins ]

Nearly at Rivendell [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] can't wait to drink and sing with the elves, should be there by the end of the week. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] There shall I rest before starting on the long journey south to Mount Doom(another "present" of gold for Mr Barrow-Wight [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] ).Now I only have to think of somewhere suitable in Middle Earthish South England to become Mount Doom - ho hum.

Aleia and the other hobbits felt very much alone; nobody was in sight in before them and nobody was in sight behind them. After passing Weathertop, they had had to put Frodo upon Bill's back. Aleia felt horrid, because they had only been doing about one mile per day. At this rate, Frodo would die before reaching Rivendell!

I hope to see you all on the way to Mount Doom too... sadly I have no expensive jewellery. Do you take presents of of food, as you're in your Hobbit guise (I seem to remember)?

You have walked 303 miles.
You are still south of the Road (300).
It is 11 miles to the next landmark. You still have 155 miles to Rivendell.
"Not once did they feel the sense of present evil that had assailed them before the attack in the dell."

Peony still felt flushed and warm at times while they walked, as though the fever was returning, but she said nothing to the others, and otherwise felt well. Strider looked up at the sky when they stopped for the night, and predicted rain for the next few days. The time seemed to be passing slowly, but they made good progress every day, and Rivendell grew closer. Frodo was hanging on, though he groaned with pain in his sleep.

Alas, my weekend was consumed with other things and I made no progress. So glad the week is here!

Hey! Can I join? I've only walked 6 miles, but hey! I'm woking on it! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
byeness!
Siri


[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Sirithheruwen ]

The rain was heavy this morning, but we trudged on for about two miles. (I walked around the block with an umbrella...)
Strider assures us Rivendell will be soon, just over one-hundred miles.
***
You have walked 322 miles.
You are still south of the Road (314).
It is 6 miles to the next landmark. You still have 136 miles to Rivendell.
***
-Melilot

It's so good to see others joining our walk! Welcome Sirithheruwen!

Arafangwen has taken less time than she imagined to calculate the remainder of her milage for the weeks and has discovered that she is now at another camp in the Trollshaws. Feeling as if the hills were closing in around her, Arafangwen suddenly wished that she had a companion to walk with her and began searching for one in the ever shortening distance of sight around her.

Estelyn turns around and, borrowing Merisuwyniel's sharp (and gorgeous! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) Elven eyes, sees Arafangwen only a few miles behind her. She waves enthusiastically but, determined to get her next shield tomorrow, walks on briskly. Borrowing the Elven heroine's Osanwe abilities as well, she sends a message of welcome to Sirithheruwen. There's still plenty of time to make it to Rivendell or at least find a nice spot on the road to settle down.

We're finally on our way again. We've been beseiged by Black Riders at the Ranger camp for the past four days. Strider is not sure why, but they departed during the night and there was no sign of them in the area this morning. We decided to make a run for it, and hurriedly continued our journey.

--------------------

• Still round the corner there may wait
  A new road or a secret gate,
  And though we pass them by today,
  Tomorrow we may come this way
  And take the hidden paths that run
  Towards the Moon or to the Sun.

I have lost track of the mileage tracker. Can anyone post a new link, please?

Here it is, Rae - Walk to Rivendell. You can always find it on the site's main page (not forum), under Fun and Games.

Aragorn seems to be waking us up earlier and keeping us up later the closer we get to Rivendell. We didn't get to sleep until almost midnight last night, and we got up at six this morning. My legs are tired of walking, yet alone in the rain!
***
We have walked 325 miles.
We are still south of the Road (314).
It is 3 miles to the next landmark.
We still have 133 miles to Rivendell.
***
-Melilot

Thank You Estelyn. And Congratulations on your motto. I voted for yours.

I've taken to walking at night. I don't know know if the hobbits cared for the weather, but I'm finding it exceedingly HOT here in Trollshaw.

Arafangwens hopes rose as her elven eyes spotted Estelyn waving enthusiasticly towards her. Only a few miles to catch up to her, mabey I can be camping with her tonight.


Hip, hip, horray! I have fourteen shields now! And congratulations on your motto Esty! I like it the best.


I can hear my fellow elves singing....

The weather has been simply outrageous! (Not a good time to be between 2 rivers I assure you.) Streets are so flooded in some areas the manhole covers are popping off. I suppose I could scale these here stone trolls if it gets too bad. And plenty more rain in the forcast. On the brighter side, I think that the Nazgul will get washed away long before I see them!

[ July 22, 2003: Message edited by: Hilde Bracegirdle ]

The weather has been gorgeous, but hot. Sunny skies as far as the eye can see, but Frodo is steadily worsening. Aleia and the hobbits have just passed the Great Road and are headed south. They are encouraged by the thought of less than 200 miles to go! Woo-hoo!

23 miles after a 3.5 mile rune yesterday, and a five mile run today. At this rate, I'll never make Rivendell by december, but perhaps I'll be to Bree.

Iarwain

The skies remained overcast all day, but the rain only fell sporadically. Though we saw neither sight nor sound of Black Riders throughout the day, Strider continued to push us onward as fast as our tired legs would go.

--------------------

All that day they plodded along, until the cold and early evening came down. The land became drier and more barren...A few melancholy birds were piping and wailing, until the round red sun sank slowly into the western shadows; then an empty silence fell. The hobbits thought of the soft light of sunset glancing through the cheerful windows of Bag End far away.

Congratulations to Aerowen, the first Barrow-Downer to reach Rivendell!! You can see her name on the
Rivendell Page of the Éowyn Challenge site. A triple hurray for Aerowen!!

The skies are still overcast, but Strider kept us going in fear of the Black Riders. Rain poured when we started our walking today, but it has slackened and stopped now.
***
We have walked 328 miles.
We are still south of the Road (328).
It is 14 miles to the next landmark.
We still have 130 miles to Rivendell.
***
At the end of the fifth day the ground began once more to rise slowly out of the wide shallow valley into which they had descended. Strider now turned their course again north-eastwards, and on the sixth day they reached the top of a long slow-climbing slope, and saw far ahead a huddle of wooded hills. Away below them they could see the Road sweeping round the feet of the hills; and to their right a grey river gleamed pale in the thin sunshine. In the distance they glimpsed yet another river in a stony valley half-veiled in mist.
***
-Melilot

Hurray for Esty! Congratulations on the win! To tell the truth I can't remember which mottos I voted for, excepting one... I should read them all and try to remember.

On vacation I walked 22 more mile, and I'm only 8 away from the 200 mile mark!

You have walked 192 miles.
You have passed the eastern edge of Chetwood Forest (180).
You are only 4 miles from the western edge of the Midgewater Marshes.
You still have 266 miles to Rivendell.

The next day they began to steer a steady course eastwards; and still all was quiet and peaceful. On the third day out from Bree they came out of the Chetwood. The land had been falling steadily, ever since they turned aside from the Road, and they now entered a wide flat expanse of country, much more difficult to manage. They were far beyond the borders of the Bree-land, out in the pathless wilderness, and drawing near to the Midge-water Marshes.

[img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]If I look hard I can see Rivendell!!As this elf cannot walk on water I have slightly damp feet from paddling through the Fords of Bruinen! Only 7 more miles and then I shall rest and write my elfish journal and maybe write a song to celebrate my safe arrival. I shall seek the wise advice of Elrond regarding the safest and most direct route to Mount Doom and then depart on my way. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I think im going to join this walk..it seems like a nice little challenge. Im setting up to go for a run today and i thought hey why not! ill take the Eowyn Challenge.

Ill update later with how far i walked

.:*Buttercup*:.

Peony is not certain whether her clothing is drenched with perspiration or rain. Either way, she feels as though she walked through steam baths this morning. [Hot, but less humid, in Raefindel's territory in the Northwest, is more to her taste] Peony plans to spend her time at Rivendell writing an account of her walk, for the benefit of her yet-unborn descendants. This will allow her alter ego to stay in training by "walking to Rivendell" again (at the present rate, should get there the first time in early September) with a new set of M-E characters! (and in the present season, rather than that of Tolkien's narrative)

My start from hobbiton was easier then I thought..it was strange because the halflings were almost used to seeing strange folk, when they saw me they nodded and pointed me in the correct direction and even gave me some provisons that I might need becaise of this horrible weather. It feels as if it mite rain any second but it wont and just stays humid and 90 degrees. After a mere 5 miles the heat is unbearable and decide to camp out for the night and get a fresh start tomorrow morning.

.:*Buttercup*:.

Esty: Congratulations on winning the motto (and acquiring points for the Barrow Downs)!! [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

Helen: Are you lurking? I saw on the mileage update page that you were now at 382 miles!! I'm glad to see you're still moovin' and groovin'...I miss your posts! [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

______________________________

It rained all night last night, and our blankets were soaked through by morning. The thunderstorms continued throughout the day. We are cold and miserable...and thoroughly wet. To add misfortune to misery, we're back to eating cram again. Strider, help me! I can't get this fire started.

--------------------

They stood for a while silent on the hill-top, near its southward edge. In that lonely place Frodo for the first time fully realized his homelessness and danger. He wished bitterly that his fortune had left him in the quiet and beloved Shire. He stared down at the hateful Road, leading back westward--to his home.