When the going gets rough...
We had reached the end of the Middle-earth improvements. Emyn Muil was just as it had been during Frodo's original journey: forbidding, rocky, and wreathed in mysterious smokes.
"Catch it!" Maggie cried, descending from a steep cliff.
"Your sunglasses case?" Mariole asked. "That was important enough for me to let go of the rope, had we remembered to bring the rope?"
"It's a callback to the 'Improvements to Middle-earth' entry that you posted way back in March," Maggie explained. "'Unnatural dimming power', remember that?"
"Will your sunglasses be important to the ultimate resolution of the plot?" Mariole asked, scrambling up the next slope.
"I can't see how," Maggie said.
"Dimming power indeed," Mariole grumbled.
"Look!" said Maggie. "From this slope we can see our ultimate goal!"
"Is that Mordor?" asked Merry, awed.
"Yes," said Maggie. "But we're going to have to do a lot of trekking through pathless wilderness to get there."
"Are you okay, Frodo?" Mariole asked anxiously.
"Fine," said Frodo. "Although it's really weird how these clouds keep sweeping over us and then drifting away."
"It's just part of the foreboding atmosphere," said Mariole.
"Hey, look at them!" cried Merry.
"The Smeagol imitators?" Frodo asked.
"Don't be silly," said Merry. "Smeagol imitators would go down the cliff head first. But if we had a rope like those tourists do, I'm sure we could get down from this rocky slope much easier."
"Would you like me to help you get down, my precious?" asked Maggie.
Startled by the cunning Smeagol impression, everybody scrambled down the wall as fast as they could.
"Catch it!" Maggie yelled.
"Didn't we do this bit already?" Mariole asked.
"Yes, but this place has a better background," Maggie explained. "There, down safe and sound without a bit of rope!"
"You know what that means," said Frodo gloomily. "Now we have to follow this slimy channel towards the Dead Marshes."
"That won't be so bad," said Merry. "The marshes are bound to have improved since the last time you were here."
"You were saying?" said Frodo.
Don't miss our next adventure, The Fellowship Slogs South, featuring the Passage of the Marshes and the Black Gate!
Click here for a complete list of our NZ adventures.
"Catch it!" Maggie cried, descending from a steep cliff.
"Your sunglasses case?" Mariole asked. "That was important enough for me to let go of the rope, had we remembered to bring the rope?"
"It's a callback to the 'Improvements to Middle-earth' entry that you posted way back in March," Maggie explained. "'Unnatural dimming power', remember that?"
"Will your sunglasses be important to the ultimate resolution of the plot?" Mariole asked, scrambling up the next slope.
"I can't see how," Maggie said.
"Dimming power indeed," Mariole grumbled.
"Look!" said Maggie. "From this slope we can see our ultimate goal!"
"Is that Mordor?" asked Merry, awed.
"Yes," said Maggie. "But we're going to have to do a lot of trekking through pathless wilderness to get there."
"Are you okay, Frodo?" Mariole asked anxiously.
"Fine," said Frodo. "Although it's really weird how these clouds keep sweeping over us and then drifting away."
"It's just part of the foreboding atmosphere," said Mariole.
"Hey, look at them!" cried Merry.
"The Smeagol imitators?" Frodo asked.
"Don't be silly," said Merry. "Smeagol imitators would go down the cliff head first. But if we had a rope like those tourists do, I'm sure we could get down from this rocky slope much easier."
"Would you like me to help you get down, my precious?" asked Maggie.
Startled by the cunning Smeagol impression, everybody scrambled down the wall as fast as they could.
"Catch it!" Maggie yelled.
"Didn't we do this bit already?" Mariole asked.
"Yes, but this place has a better background," Maggie explained. "There, down safe and sound without a bit of rope!"
"You know what that means," said Frodo gloomily. "Now we have to follow this slimy channel towards the Dead Marshes."
"That won't be so bad," said Merry. "The marshes are bound to have improved since the last time you were here."
"You were saying?" said Frodo.
Don't miss our next adventure, The Fellowship Slogs South, featuring the Passage of the Marshes and the Black Gate!
Click here for a complete list of our NZ adventures.