I did this hike in the month of June when I had reached Manali for a road running event. On the first day, we drove directly from Gurugram to Barua village. We completed this road journey in about 14 hours and for this we had to drive 650 km. We would have reached by 6 pm but the traffic jam after Kullu delayed us by 3 hours. After reaching at 9 pm, we went straight to the restaurant where we had dinner and landed directly on our bed.
This is Barua village which is located at an altitude of 2250 meters, this place is located in Manali district of Himachal Pradesh in the north of India and it is a tourist place. If we go ahead from Barua, we can go to Rohtang Pass, if we cross the tunnel built in Solang Valley, we reach Lahaul Valley from where the routes to Spiti, Pangi, Zanskar or Ladakh open. Reaching your destination by driving on these high mountain passes is like a dream.
The next morning, two of my friends go for a run while I decide to walk alone to Solang. For a long time, it felt like I was away from nature and today I will make up for all this. So after checking out the room, I load both my bags in my friend's car and set out towards Solang which is about 6 km from here.
Barua is a hilly village which is located at the base of the Dhauladhar mountain range, this village is mainly famous for apple farming. There is a Hindu population here who believe a lot in the local gods and goddesses. Many hotels have been built here on the roadside and a big market has also come up so that the things needed by the locals and tourists can be made available. After crossing the village, I come to a stone trail.
Behind me is the view of Barua village and behind it the valley where I am looking down at Manali and counting the turns of the Beas river flowing along the road. The warm morning sunshine falling on my skin is giving me immense pleasure. In front of me is the Solang Valley which is famous all over the world for its adventure sports. Here tourists can do paragliding, zip line, river crossing, hiking, camping, zorbing, horse riding, ATV ride and mountain cycling.
On my right side I am looking at a very big mountain which has many beautiful places which I have visited many times by hiking. In this mountain there is a temple of Rishi Vasistha where there is also a hot water pond, there is a very big waterfall which is called Jogini waterfall in the local language. It is believed that on the night of Amavasya fairies come here and dance. If we keep on hiking above this waterfall, we reach Bhrigu Lake which has been the place of penance of Rishi Bhrigu. And moving towards north along with Bhrigu lake, we reach the most famous mountain pass of this valley, named Rohtang Pass, which is 3950 meters high.
While admiring the houses built in the village from a distance, clicking photos of red apples in apple orchards, I reached a farm where apricots are cultivated. Apricots are still raw and will ripen next month and be ready to be sold in the market. Talking about my left ride, I am able to see the snowy mountains situated above Anjani Mahadev. Snowfall had stopped in March but the height of the mountains here is high, so it will take a lot of time for the snow to melt.
It is 10 in the morning and I can still see the white moon in the sky below. After reaching Solang Valley, I look at Solang village, pay my respects to the Beas river flowing below. In the afternoon, when the weather gets bad, I see some paragliders playing in the sky as if it is their playground. I felt alive after doing this 6 km hike, I got a chance to walk with nature, I understood that it is not right to always think about yourself.
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 canon 77d (55-250mm) and edited on laptop lightroom app, post thumbnail created in adobe photoshop.
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