Issue 107

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Happy Friday! This is Adventure Fix, the #1 magazine for people who believe that life is better lived outside the box.

Here’s what we've got for you today:

• Natural Wonders: Patagonia’s marble caves

• Wildlife Experiences: Icy orca encounter

• Expeditions: Kaçkar Mountains trekking

• Apps: Identify the night sky

Hiking the ancient trails of the Kaçkar Mountains

Far from Turkey’s resorts, beaches, and metropolises lies another side of the country. A quieter, greener, more peaceful side.

Breathe in the fresh air as you trek across the vast Caucasian steppe of the Kaçkar Mountains.

Be surrounded by towering peaks, blooming flowers, pastures, and forests.

Follow the ancient routes of the Silk Road and pay a visit to remote Armenian churches that cling to cliff faces.

This region of Anatolia is packed with mostly untouched nature that has remained unchanged for centuries. Here, bears and wolves still roam the forests and timeless traditions live on to this day.

 

Explore more:

• Wildflowers & Ice: Hiking Turkey’s Majestic Kackar Mountains (article)

• North-East Turkey: Walking in the Kaçkar Mountains (tour)

Embrace the rain with the Beringia Dragonfly Jacket

When sleek and sexy Japanese design meets quality American craftsmanship, something legendary is born, like Beringia’s Dragonfly jacket.

It’s minimalist and ultra-light with enough features to make it a worthy backpacking choice.

Best of all, the Dragonfly’s paper-thin fabric is soft, not stiff, and plasticky like other lightweight options.

So, if you’re looking for a rain jacket that will keep you dry during those sudden springtime downpours without weighing you down, you just found it.

 

Marble caves of Patagonia

Your kayak gently glides into a passageway and moments later you feel like you’ve been transported to another world.

Pure marble columns surround you as your boat drifts through smooth arches that have been carved out over thousands of years.

The water below is a luminescent turquoise. When the sun’s rays hit the water just right, they reflect across the soft pinks, electric blues, and neon greens that run through the undulating marble walls.

The Cuevas de Marmol (Marble Caves) are nature’s 6,000-year-old sculptures formed by the crashing waves of Lake General Carrera in Southern Chile.

What makes this natural wonder even more impressive is its unique ability to transform its appearance throughout the year.

In spring, the turquoise waters create a shimmering effect against the swirling walls.

In summer, the water levels rise and create a deep blue hue with gives the cave a unique unearthly shade of blue.

Explore more:

• Behold the Marble Caves of Patagonia (video)

Swimming with wild orcas in Norway

You can’t feel your face but refuse to lift your head out of the freezing water. The burning sensation is worth the view.

A pod of orcas swims directly at you. Your heart rate is through the roof. Their whistles and clicks reverberate through your entire body. Thoughts like what did I get myself into race through your mind.

Moments before reaching you the pod shifts direction, all except one who dives deeper and rolls onto its side to check you out. Your eyes lock for what feels like minutes. All the fear you had felt seconds ago transforms into pure joy.

Explore more:

• Swimming with Wild Orcas in Norway (video)

• Orca Expedition (tour)

Locked In: First Descent of the Beriman

Big adventures require high levels of commitment. They take you to places that make you so vulnerable that survival hinges on the skills you bring.

One mistake and there is no way out. Help is not on the way.

Locked In, is a story that embodies this extreme level of commitment. In the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, a team of pro kayakers attempts a first descent of the Beriman River.

To make it back home, they’ll have to face class VI rapids with no plan b. The 400-foot vertical walls mean there is zero chance of rescue or resupply. Once they enter the canyon, there is only one way out.

Watch this film for free here.

Wow: When you live in the Swiss Alps, you can paraglide to work.

Science: How the tides really work.

So cute: Unlikely trail buddies.

App: Star walk - quickly identify stars at night.

Extreme camping: The perfect cave to fish and camp.