What is a Moot?  

We call ourselves Mooters, because we have moots.  In JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings a Moot is a gathering of Ents, living trees that walk, think and communicate with us and with each other.  In our case, a Moot is a gathering of Tolkien fans, particularly this group of Tolkien fans.

A Brief History of the Moot

We started mooting in 1995 on America Online, which at the time was really the only social network where people anywhere could chat online live over the Internet.  We Tolkien fans soon found each other on the AOL online message boards, formed a group and organized weekly online meetings for Tolkien-related conversation and fun. It was only the beginning of what was to become an enduring bond of real-life friendship.  

Mootstock, a 5-Day In-Person Retreat

Mootstock is an in-person retreat for Mooters only. We retreat from everyday life, a vacation and a chance to spend actual time together with a special class of friends we usually only see online or talk to in email. Mootstock is a fun and safe place, where we may share our innermost thoughts with people who we trust will understand. 

So far Mootstock has always been held on the Oregon Coast, mainly because HobbitLovr (HL),  the group's leader, happens to live in Oregon. At first HL was the only mooter in Oregon, but since the Moot was formed in 1995, four other Mooters have moved to Oregon from California, Montana and New Jersey. Two Mooters who met through the Moot are now a real life married couple with Mootlings!

The first Mootstock was in 1996, when the mooters online decided it would be fun to meet in person!  Seven brave mooters attended that first Mootstock, coming all the way from Ohio, Montana and California to meet for the first time in person.  We named the event Mootstock, because like Woodstock it was a place where people who had met would come from far and wide just to spend some peaceful time together, sharing their appreciation for music. But at Mootstock, though we do enjoy music, we may be more interested in books and sharing our unique and special love for Tolkien's world of Middle Earth.  Every Mootstock so far has been a five-day event held at the Oregon coast, where Mooters stay in hobbit-like cottages.  Some Mooters have come from as far as Michigan, Baltimore, Arizona, and Colorado.   Mooters refer to the Oregon Coast as The Grey Havens.