It was only on my most recent, present, read through of The Lord of the Rings (and after more than 50 years of re-reading!) that I suddenly noticed the puzzling situation of Gandalf the White being in Fangorn Forest and in the vicinity of Treebeard's observatory hill, to be seen by Treebeard two days before Merry and Pippin met Treebeard, and still present two days later to encounter Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
For the first time I wondered: what on earth was the recently re-born Gandalf doing, hanging around that part of Fangorn for at least four days?
On doing a bit of research in the Tale of Years chronology, it was soon evident that the motivation for Gandalf having gone to Fangorn Forest, and having stayed there for several days, is never provided.
It is a puzzle.
And, on the face of it, there is no "logical" reason why Gandalf - whose memory of being Gandalf the Grey was not yet fully recovered; should have gone to Fangorn specifically, of all possible places - and of staying near the observing hill even after Gandalf had seen Merry and Pippin meet and befriend Treebeard and be carried off by him.
Yes things worked out very well; but what could Gandalf have been expecting would happen?
My best guess, given the apparently arbitrary nature of Gandalf's behaviour yet its excellent outcomes, is that Gandalf was in the grip of divine providence, and went to Fangorn without foreknowledge but because that was where his intuition (his attunement with divine purposes) told him he ought to be.
But further; the fact I had never noticed this gap in the narrative through many re-readings is significant; and the highly effective nature of the scene when Gandalf meets with the three walkers; shows that Tolkien was (for whatever reason) correct to leave-out an explanation of Gandalf's presence.
Explanation was not necessary, and therefore it was not provided
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