I Ringbandets Sammanslutning, Kapitel 4. En resa i mörkret, som fellowshipen just har besegrats av freakblizzard på Redhorn Gate, har Gandalf svårt att lokalisera strömmen (Sirannon) "som sprang ut ur klippens fötter nära där dörrarna [av Moria] hade stått "
Det finns inget omnämnande av en egentlig flodbädd i det "fria landet av röda stenar".
Om tillfälligt Gandalfs närmaste ofelbarhet i de flesta saker (och visst de som reser) tillfälligt undanröjs, kan det vara möjligt att hans vilseledande har varit ett trick av Saruman?
Om Gandalf däremot inte var vilseledande och de verkligen reser där floden tidigare hade kört, är det möjligt att mer än bara dammningen av Sirannon bidrog till den möjliga förändringen av landet i den mellanliggande år? Medan texten anger "ström" och inte "flod" och därför, förmodligen i mindre skala än en flod, med mindre erosion etc., verkar det fortfarande rimligt att vissa topografiska egenskaper fortfarande skulle vara närvarande, som tyder på ( tidigare) existens av en ström.
När de äntligen hittar strömmen (eller resterna av det) är det en "djup och smal kanal ... tom och tyst ..." Så, i det här läget har åtminstone strömmen bevis på en kanal, även om detta kan ha varit av dvärgframställning, snarare än på grund av en naturlig effekt, såsom erosion.
Gimli now walked ahead by the wizard's side, so eager was he to come to
Moria. Together they led the Company back towards the mountains. The only
road of old to Moria from the west had lain along the course of a stream,
the Sirannon, that ran out from the feet of the cliffs near where the doors
had stood. But either Gandalf was astray, or else the land had changed in
recent years; for he did not strike the stream where he looked to find it,
only a few miles southwards from their start.
The morning was passing towards noon, and still the Company wandered
and scrambled in a barren country of red stones. Nowhere could they see any
gleam of water or hear any sound of it. All was bleak and dry. Their hearts
sank. They saw no living thing, and not a bird was in the sky; but what the
night would bring, if it caught them in that lost land, none of them cared
to think.
Suddenly Gimli, who had pressed on ahead, called back to them. He was
standing on a knoll and pointing to the right. Hurrying up they saw below
them a deep and narrow channel. It was empty and silent, and hardly a trickle of water flowed among the brown and red-stained stones of its bed; but on the near side there was a path, much broken and decayed, that wound its way among the ruined walls and paving-stones of an ancient highroad. ‘Ah! Here it is at last! ' said Gandalf. 'This is where the stream ran: Sirannon, the Gate-stream, they used to call it. But what has happened to the water, I cannot guess; it used to be swift and noisy. Come! We must
hurry on. We are late.'
När det gäller möjligheten att Gandalf blir vilseled, har vi också detta citat av Aragorn (Fellowship of the Ring, bok 2, kapitel 4 - En resa i mörkret):
'Do not be afraid!' said Aragorn. There was a pause longer than usual,
and Gandalf and Gimli were whispering together; the others were crowded
behind, waiting anxiously. 'Do not be afraid! I have been with him on many a
journey, if never on one so dark; and there are tales of Rivendell of
greater deeds of his than any that I have seen. He will not go astray-if
there is any path to find. He has led us in here against our fears, but he
will lead us out again, at whatever cost to himself. He is surer of finding
the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Beruthiel.'
Även om det kan sägas att syftet med Aragorns tal var att stärka gemenskapens andar, var Aragorns ord sällan av frivolitet. I stället för att vara en prosaisk pep-talk efter ett mode, bekräftar Aragorn här Gandalfs sanna natur, genom ögonvittnesbokföring, som de var.