I had best make some points
If the group splits, half of it will be very bored. There will be nothing happening at the camp.
And this isn't a sprint. That guy has over two hours start on you, and that is hostile territory. It is cross-country work in which the Rangers of the group will be vital, but you will be going at a steady pace, so do not begrudge your hobbit and Dwarf.
You MAY want to wait for daybreak also, he said, hinting something that people should remember about it being a hundred times safer at day...