Poor Bilbo, he just hasn’t seen enough of the outside world yet to realize that enemies don’t feed you and tell you stories and give you nice straw beds to sleep on.  Granted, Beorn is like nothing he’s ever encountered before, and his dreams must have been disturbed by all the strange noises outside during the night, and Bilbo had just been through some terrible adventures.  He just didn't trust Beorn yet.

I’m sure Gandalf followed the set of tracks that led to the west because he knew they had been made by Beorn.  He wanted to see how far west Beorn had gone, and perhaps what damage he had done, if any, to the goblins (knowing he hated them).  It does sound like Gandalf took a fair hike that morning, but a determined wizard in a hurry could probably cover ‘miles and miles’ as he put it in a few hours.  I can walk a brisk mile in 15-20 minutes and my legs are undoubtedly shorter than Gandalf’s.  At that pace he could have walked 10-12 miles in a few hours.  Then again, he might have just been exaggerating to impress the dwarves and Bilbo:  the old “I walked 20 mile uphill the whole way…”

************
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens.  The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new positive beginnings.

************

TORN 101

TORN Calendar