A Glimpse of Winter in Solang Valley

I got busy with a running event for a few days and hence I could not participate in the #winterchallenge organized by @worldmappin but still I am reading, upvoting and reblogging the posts of this amazing challenge everyday. I keep an eye on the leaderboard in which I have lagged behind due to not being able to write for a few days. Now I will get back into routine and try to maintain my position in the top 5 in this challenge.

Today I will post about the Solang Valley trip I did last month in which we went hiking to Bakkar Thach. Solang Valley is a beautiful valley located at 2450 meters which can be easily reached by road. This place is famous all over India for adventure. Trekking, mountaineering, zorbing, zipline, river crossing, paragliding, ski, ATV ride and horse riding are included here. I have done all these activities here at one time or another.

Early in the morning I go straight from Solang to Goshal village where the blue hours have just ended and the golden hours have begun. The mountains above the Beas river have regained their beauty, the sunlight has started spreading rapidly in the valley and the golden glow of the sun has adorned the forehead of every mountain like a crown. After seeing this spectacular view, I go back to Solang valley from where I have to continue my journey.

It is very important to mention the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges situated here in the introduction of Solang valley, both these mountain ranges meet in Solang and at their confluence is Beas Kund which is situated at 3850 meters, the Beas river is born from this lake which flows through Himachal Pradesh and crosses Punjab. In these mountain ranges, Hanuman Tibba, Shitidhar, Friendship, Ladakhi, Muker Bah, Shikar Bah, Patalsu, Dev Tibba and Indrasan mountains are clearly visible.

We start from Solang and take a lift to get down at Dhundi Bridge. If we follow the road from Dhundi Bridge, we will cross Atal Tunnel and enter Lahaul Valley which further leads to Pangi, Zanskar, Spiti and Leh. Dhundi is situated at 2700 meters and from here all the mountaineers leave the road and take the trail which takes them amidst the snowy mountains. Hanging our small bags on our shoulders, we count all the stuff to ensure that nothing is left to take with us.

As soon as we move ahead from Dhundi, the vast views of the mountains start dancing in front of our eyes as if some Apsara is dancing. Winter has arrived a little earlier this time, the first snowfall of the season has already happened and the cold has increased so much that the temperature has started going down to a minimum of -2 degrees at night. Cold wind is blowing from the snowy mountains and my nose has started running in the first 500 meters itself. I am thinking that I may catch a cold further ahead, so I cover my mouth.

The Seven Sisters mountain range is still a little green but soon this greenery will dry up and the whole area will be covered under white snow. Below the Seven Sisters, the sheep and goats of the Shepherds are grazing grass. Soon all the Shepherds will come down from the mountain and after a long journey will reach their home where they will enjoy the winter. We reach Palchani Nala which is about 3 km from Dhundhi, the water here is flowing at a good speed due to such winters.

I safely cross the wooden bridge on Palchani Nala and continue walking ahead. While walking, I look back where I see the road going to Atal Tunnel. A JCB is standing here which is cutting the mountain because a power project is being built here. Behind, Hanuman Tibba is shining in the snow and is attracting as always. I move ahead and a small friend comes to me from behind.

A small puppy which is Shepherd's is running fast, sometimes here and sometimes there. After a while another dog comes who is moving fast towards Beas Kund. By the time we reach here, it has not rained much but dark clouds have covered the sky. Cold wind has started blowing and it seems that it will rain soon, looking at the height of this part of the hill, it will not rain here but only snow will fall. I do not want to get wet in the rain in such cold, so I start descending.

Picking up some speed, I reach back to Dhundi Bridge where after standing for 20 minutes I get a lift for Solang Valley. I was a little disappointed today looking at the weather because I had to go a little further. Today was not dedicated to any trekking but I had to go just so that I could see Beas Kund, but no matter, I will soon be at Beas Kund and fulfill this wish.

Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from sony point and shoot camera and edited in lightroom.