Redhorn Gate

The Redhorn Gate, called Caradhras in the Dwarvish tongue and the Redhorn Pass by Men, is the most formidable of the three high passes over the Misty Mountains east of Rivendell. It climbs under the shadow of Caradhras the Cruel, a peak whose sheer northern precipice glows red in the morning sun and whose name carries an ill reputation long predating the return of Sauron. The Fellowship of the Ring, guided by Gandalf, reaches the borders of Hollin on January 8, 3019, and after a brief rest sets out for the pass on the night of January 11. Their hope is to cross the mountains secretly and descend by the Dimrill Stair into the Dimrill Dale, where the Mirrormere lies and the River Silverlode rises in icy springs.

The Ascent and the Storm

The Company climbs through a bleak, barren land of tumbled stones and ancient ruined roads. The path, once broad and well-planned, winds upward under a sheer wall of cliffs on the left and a deep ravine on the right. On the third night, as they near the knees of the great mountains, a bitter wind swirls among the rocks and snow begins to fall—soft flakes at first, then a blinding blizzard that fills the air and piles ankle-deep around their boots. The storm is no ordinary winter weather. Gimli declares that Caradhras has an ill name and that the mountain itself does not love Elves or Dwarves. Boromir suspects the Enemy's hand, noting that Sauron is said to govern storms in the Mountains of Shadow. Gandalf, however, acknowledges only that the Enemy's arm has grown long. The snow deepens, the wind howls, and stones begin to fall from the mountain-side, whistling past the Company or crashing onto the path beside them. Legolas alone remains light of heart, but even he cannot melt a path through the drifts.

The Decision to Turn Back

After a desperate night huddled against the cliff, with the snow mounting above the hobbits' heads and a great sleepiness overcoming Frodo, the Company is forced to admit defeat. Boromir and Aragorn force a lane through a massive drift, but a final fall of stones and slithering snow blocks the path behind them. Gimli declares that Caradhras has not forgiven them and has more snow yet to fling. The mountain's malice seems satisfied only when the invaders retreat. As they stumble wearily down the slope, Legolas reports that the snow grows thinner beyond the drift and that further down it is no more than a white coverlet. The Company halts at evening, exhausted and chilled, and Gandalf calls a council.

Consequences: The Road to Moria

The failure at the Redhorn Gate forces the Fellowship to choose a new path. Gandalf reveals that he had considered the dark and secret way through the Mines of Moria from the beginning, but Aragorn was against it until the mountain pass had at least been tried. Now, with the Gap of Rohan closed by Saruman's treachery and the longer southern road too time-consuming, Moria becomes the only viable option. The Company descends into the valley of the Sirannon, finds the West-door of Moria, and enters the darkness beneath the mountains. The Redhorn Gate thus marks a decisive turning point: it closes the way over the mountains and opens the way under them, leading directly to the loss of Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm and to the Company's eventual arrival in Lothlórien. The pass itself remains a symbol of the natural world's hostility to the Quest, a reminder that even the most straightforward path can be barred by forces beyond any wizard's control.