In the morning old Bilbo gives both his old sword Sting and his mithril mail-shirt to Frodo who, he asserts, will be in much greater need of them than he. Each member of the party bears a sword, save Gimli and his dwarven axe; they carry much of their own luggage in packs save that which can be laden upon the pony they brought from Bree. The quiet of their evening departure above the roaring brook is broken only by Boromir's winding of his horn, always his custom upon starting a journey. After receiving their charge from Elrond they walk south as the night falls, out of Rivendell and into the Wild.
For two weeks the Company of the Ring, having left Rivendell on the twenty-fifth of December, struggles southward beneath a chilly grey sky. Aragorn leads them as they pass through the desolate lands between the river Bruinen, which flows far away to their west, and the Misty Mountians which rise to the east. The wind blows cold off of the mountains. To avoid attention they journey chiefly at night, and sleep as best they can through the middle of the day.