Northlands

I have a level 7 Ranger/Ele and have visited a lot of the Ascalon area. I completed the quest from the town guard to rescue the lost ranger in the Northlands with another fellow and got credit for it. Now I want to continue back into the Northlands to fight some of the higher level monsters there. But I cannot get through the gate. I talk to the guard & he says I can go in if I think I can fight the monsters there but even after hitting the lever the gate doesn't open or allow me to enter. I suppose I can live without exploring the area but need to find another spot where there are level 5 monsters to fight so that I may get more experience.
I hope someone can tell me either how to get past the gate or where another area is to explore that has a little higher level monsters to fight.

You need two people to get past that gate, either for the quest, or just to kill mobs. One pulls the lever, the other runs through the door.