Solang Valley To Dhundi

We had originally planned on hiring a helicopter to take us up the Jagatsukh Valley for five days of ski touring, but we bailed because of weather. There are no reliable forecasts in this part of India, but it looked like there was a good chance of stormy weather and we didn’t want to be stuck in a huge, unknown valley. We decided to spend the day hiking up Solang Valley to Dhundi, and head towards Rhotang Pass for our ski trip the following day.

The hike along the road was enjoyable, although there was a fair amount of work being performed on the road. The Indian army was building an alternate mountain route for Rhotang Pass and they had many Nepalese working on the road. Almost everything was done by hand, and the Nepalese brought their children with them while working. Walking up the road, we caught glimpses of Friendship Peak and its ridgeline, although most of the time the mountains were enshrouded in clouds. There had been a dog following us since Solang and we dubbed her Patches. At Dhundi, a group of dogs took notice of Patches, but Pepe saved the day by chasing them off and earned Patches eternal love. From Dhundi we could see Hanuman Tibba, but we decided to head up the opposite valley for a short way until it became apparent we would have to do a river crossing to go any further. Relaxing on a rock, we talked about our ski plans for the next week and finally headed back down the valley to the Iceland Hotel.