Why Moria?

[tom bombariffic]

A good point, Moria was the logical, and safest choice.

However, Tolkien is also careful to emphasize their reluctance right to the end, and they decide to sleep on it, still undecided. In the end, the final decision to go to moria is made of pure necessity, whether they would have chosen to go there or not:

Suddenly Aragorn leapt to his feet. "How the wind howls!" he cried. "It is howling with wolf-voices.The wargs have come west of the mountains!"

"Need we wait until morning then?" said Gandalf. "It is as I said. The hunt is up! Even if we live to see the dawn, who now will wish to journey south by night with the wild wolves on his trail?"

"How far is Moria?" asked Boromir.

This is very clearly a last option, and their delaying of their decision until their hand is forced shows that it was really made out of necessity...whether or not they would have decided to go despite the wolves is another question.

bombariffic