We read on December 25, 2025, about how I, along with two other companions, started walking from Kothi village on Christmas Day and ended our journey, the purpose of which was to mark the trail, at Khobi. A trail running event was going to be held, and we were marking the trail for it, but the problem arose when we encountered snow above knee-deep above Kothi Top, which slowed down our marking process considerably.
This is Himachal Pradesh, located in the northern part of India, also known as "Devbhoomi" (Land of the Gods) in the local language. My favorite valley, Solang Valley, is located in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Situated at 2450 meters, this place puts you face to face with the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal mountain ranges. So, let's continue our journey from Khobi.
We started our journey at 7:30 AM and have been walking until now, it's already afternoon. Due to the snowfall two days ago, our shoes and pants are wet, and the weather is fluctuating between sunshine and dark clouds. It looks like it could rain at any moment. This fear should make us walk faster, but we can't because everyone is feeling very cold due of being wet.
Khobi, which is the base camp of Mount Patalsu at 3200 meters, has more than a foot of snow. In the summers, this place becomes home to shepherds; sheep, goats, and horses graze here, preparing themselves for the winters. The long climb from Kothi to Khobi has exhausted us, and now we have to trek downhill. Thankfully, Solang is only 5 km away from here, and the path is downhill.
Now a new problem has arisen while descending; our shoes are slipping on the snow, and we are falling and getting up repeatedly. We could slide down, but we are already quite wet, so we don't want to sit on the snow. After descending about a kilometer, we encountered a group of hikers who had started late from Solang and were now wondering whether to go up or turn back down. Understanding their predicament, I advised them to go as far as Khobi and then start descending, otherwise, it would get dark in the forest on their way back down.
After about a kilometer and a half, the snow on the trail ended. Our pace picked up, and we didn't need to take any more breaks. Upon reaching Saga Dug, we admired Hanuman Tibba, which was gleaming white due to the recent snowfall. Below, we could see the road in the Solang Valley, with cars honking as they sped towards the Atal Tunnel.
From Saga Dug, we had only 3 km left. We stopped here to drink water and admire the surrounding views. We finally had mobile network coverage, so we informed our team that we were fine and also gave them an update on the trail, mentioning that the route had been well-marked for the trail race. The runners were going to have a great time.
We reached Solang village, situated at an altitude of 2600 meters. This village, located above the Beas River, offers spectacular views. Some old houses still remain in the village. The people here make their living through apple cultivation. Walking through the apple orchards, we witnessed the last rays of sunlight in the valley. After crossing the village, I took a picture of the Beas River from the newly built bridge, with Friendship Peak visible in the background.
So, this was my trek from Khobi to Solang Valley, covering a total distance of 18 km and gaining an elevation of 1850 meters. Starting at 7 AM, we reached our hotel at 6 PM. It felt wonderful to take a hot shower. Have you ever done a snow trek? If yes, please share your experience in the comments!
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 One Plus 13R, and post thumbnail created in adobe photoshop.
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