[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by The Might

Legate, you again seem to totally misunderstand me.
If you would read my first post again you'd notice that I did not attempt to show this alternative could have been better or at least as good as what happened, but that it could have been taken as a valid option into account.

I think you are being a little bit contradictory here. In the post before you said that you are not looking from the point of the Fellowship. From whose point then do you want to "take it as valid option into account"? Because I took it from the point of one who analyzes the roads that could have been taken, from the point of a "tactician" who reads the book and thinks about alternative routes to Mordor. I don't see how I should misunderstand you in this way.

Originally Posted by TM

There still were Druedain living in that area, and if we were to simply speculate they were quite similar to the woses met by the Rohirrim, they would have probably helped the Fellowship, as they too fought the Orcs. From there it wouldn't have been a huge way till Pinnath Gelin, which we know was inhabited.

Well, the Drúedain were not willing to meddle into the affairs of the outworlders normally. With the Rohirrim, it was a very special case. Maybe they could have helped if the Fellowship was chased by the Uruk-hai of Mordor (and it would make a great part of the story, I think - something like the Rangers of Ithilien, "getting help where you don't expect it"), but I don't think that they'd just choose to help a band of travelers. Helping the company has nothing to do with the hatred of Orcs (one does not explain to a Wose that when the Ring is destroyed, a large threat posed by the Orcs is warded off).

Originally Posted by TM

You speak about all the disadvantages of this route compared to the others, but you don't seem to take its great advantages into account.
No Moria, no Anduin with the eastern side watched by the Enemy, no all everything.

I did not think it was necessary to think of the advantages, they are clear. But the only thing that is compensated is Moria (although it's a large blow), because the eastern side of Anduin watched by the Enemy is still in play (as I said above). But in the worst scenario as I outlined it above, meeting Saruman would be at least equal to the encounter with the Balrog (definitely when it was close to his home and he had also all the Orcs and stuff who, unlike the Orcs of Moria, would not tremble in the corner when Saruman would battle Gandalf, but fight alongside him).

Originally Posted by TM

As for crossing Anduin, well, Pelargir comes to mind.

Possibly? But that means a long journey on the road from south to the Crossroad, and with the reinforcements of Haradrim heading towards Imlad Morgul, in the land south of the Crossroad, unprotected by the Rangers of Ithilien, I wouldn't call that a safe way.

Originally Posted by TM

I doubt that Gandalf planned what happened afterwards, for example Merry and Pippin's coming to Fangorn.
Their way through Moria could have been ever more devastating had the battle with the Orcs ended otherwise, the Ring could have been lost in some pit together with Frodo.
So I wouldn't be so hasty to clearly say that the road they took was the ideal one.

Of course Gandalf did not plan that, he says that himself. To be honest, I get the feeling (and it has been voiced many times on many threads and not only by myself) that he did not have any plan (even Aragorn says that at certain moment).
But what you say about Moria, I think, could be applied for any road. Any battle with Orcs could have ended otherwise (and the worse, as I said many times, near Isengard and on open grounds, where they could be surrounded in a wood or something like that), so maybe only the falling to the pit. But I did not certainly say that the way through Moria was "ideal" - that's what Gandalf thought (obviously). Although it's true that it still looks better to me than taking the Ring near Isengard, whatever the case.