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Case study · Android · Web

Pydhal Chalo

A trekking app for Jammu & Kashmir — offline trail maps, live tracking and one-tap SOS for the mountains where there's no signal.

Role
Mobile & Full-Stack Engineer
Platform
Android · Web
Timeline
2026
Impact
62 trails mapped
Google Playpydhalchalo.in

01 — Context

Pydhal chalo means “let's walk” in Kashmiri. It's a trekking app for Jammu & Kashmir, started in Srinagar, for the valleys, high-altitude lakes and passes that most map apps barely know exist.

Trekking here means hours without signal at altitude. So the app had to do its most important jobs — navigate, record the route and call for help — with no connection at all.

02 — What I built

  • Trail maps from GPX

    Every route is a GPX track with distance, climb, descent, estimated time, an elevation profile and a 3D preview.

  • Offline maps

    Download a trail and its map tiles before you leave. Navigation and GPS tracking keep working with no internet.

  • Background recording

    Live pace, climb, steps and route keep recording with the phone locked in your pocket.

  • One-tap SOS

    Shares your live location with your contacts and nearby trekkers, with the 112 emergency number one tap away.

  • Weather at trail elevation

    Forecasts for each trail's altitude, with a plain verdict: good, fair or not today.

  • Community & verified trails

    Find trekking partners, plan group treks and share trip reports. New trails come in with GPX tracks and photos and are checked before they go live.

03 — How it's built

  • Offline first: map tiles are stored on the device, and GPS tracking runs without any network connection.
  • Redis caching in front of the API for faster responses on patchy mountain connections.
  • Google Sign-In, plus a forced-update system that downloads and installs critical updates inside the app.
  • A Next.js website with trail pages that hands visitors straight to the Play Store.
  • React Native
  • Offline maps
  • GPS / GPX
  • Redis
  • Google Sign-In
  • Next.js

04 — Outcome

62trails mapped

  • 62 trails mapped across all 22 districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
  • Live on Google Play with 1,000+ downloads. The iOS app is on the way.
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