"Every life comes with a story ... and possibly a great adventure." - Kobi Yamada, greeting card philosopher

When I created this site a few years ago, I did it for two reasons: to promote my first book, which was coming out at the time, and so I would have a place to write about my reporting adventures. Anyone who knows me knows I can't go to the mailbox without also going on an adventure. They also know the only thing I love more than a good adventure is telling stories about a good adventure.

Still, when I saw the final design for the homepage, I cringed. In the upper left-hand corner, below my name, were the words, "journalist, author, adventurer." Adventurer?! I didn't say adventurer! That wasn't in my design notes. I am no adventurer. Jon Krakauer is an adventurer. Bear Grylls is an adventurer. I don't climb mountains. I don't brave the conditions. I don't own an ice axe or crampons. Sure, I love a good adventure. But the drive-a-bobsled, ride-in-a-stunt-plane, hang-with-Australian-surf-gang-members, snowboard-with-Olympians, feed-baby-cheetahs, wakeboard-at-Gitmo, hunt-down-tickets-to-Super-Bowl-XL kind of adventure. I've never been on a real adventure, the kind they write about in National Geographic or Outside magazine. I am not adventurer. I am a fraud.

Until now. This past weekend, I earned that third qualifier. That 10-letter word no longer feels like a four-letter one. Because, over Memorial Day weekend, I went on a real adventure. As part of my reporting for a story on big-mountain snowboarding icon Jeremy Jones, I spent three days hiking, camping, climbing and split-boarding in the High Sierras. It was the most exhausting, exhilarating, intense, amazing adventure I've had the privilege of taking part in, and three days later, I'm still trying to process it all.

I wrote about my adventure for ESPN.com, and you can read that story here. My ESPN The Mag story on Jones will be out in the fall, so stay tuned. It's going to be a good one!

A few photos from my adventure:

TENT CITY, OUR HOME FOR THE WEEKEND ...

MY FEET, ATTACHED TO THE REST OF ME, TAKING A MID-MOUNTAIN BREAK ...

THE INCREDIBLE HULK, OUR DAY-ONE DESTINATION ...

JONES, AFTER TAKING HIS FINAL RUN OF THE SEASON ...

RALPH BACKSTROM, ME AND JEREMY HIKING OUT SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WHAT A WEEKEND! ...

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE LEAVING THAT BEHIND. I WANT TO GO BACK! AFTER TAKING A VERY LONG NAP ...

This past weekend (see previous post), I spent a lot of time talking to Jeremy Jones and Ralph Backstrom about why they do what they do. About fear and death and pushing limits and moving on after losing someone close to you to the mountains - the very place they turn for comfort and solace. Death happens much too often in the big-mountain world and Jones has dealt with it a lot in the past year. "I could use a lot less reality," he told me.

Ralph, who is 27 and rides for Jeremy's snowboard company, as well as The North Face, is from a family of well-respected pros. His older sister Ingrid is one of the best, if not the best, big-mountain skier in the world. His older brother Arne, the middle sibling, is a big-mountain skier, as well. Ralph talked a lot about Arne and a big-mountain filming trip Arne was on in Peru this week. He was a bit jealous of Arne's adventure and clearly thought the world of him.

Arne died in a fall on that trip today. He was 29.

I can't stop thinking about how fun, funny, life-loving, lovable and limit-pushing Ralph is ... and how this will change him. My wish is that it, if it does, is only for the better.

Any way you say it, I'm excited. I mean, come on ... who isn't? If you love sports, and if you love drama, and if you love a great story--or even one of the three--then you love the World Cup. Today was Day 2 of the 2010 World Cup and I wanted nothing more than to be posted up in front of a television, American brew in hand, watching the USA take on England. Instead, I was standing in the rain on the corner of Augusta and Elston in Chicago, watching a BMX Dirt contest--and watching the game on my iPhone.

THE RED BULL STOMPING GROUNDS CONTEST ...

The contest was a lot of fun and part of my reporting for a feature on BMXer Anthony Napolitan. You may remember him as the guy who landed the first double front flip on the mega ramp at the X Games last year. And if you don't remember him, well, that's even more reason to read my story. And the soccer game, well, a 1-1 tie is something the U.S. team should be damn proud of--especially for holding an all-star England squad to one goal--and something that will surely keep the English players awake tonight.

I am, of course, rooting for Team USA. But watching the team is even cooler because the coach, Bob Bradley, is the brother of one of my friends and colleagues, ESPN The Mag senior writer Jeff Bradley. Bob's son, and Jeff's nephew, Michael Bradley, is a member of the team. I know how excited I was when the Little League team I coached won the 1998 Gainesville City Championship. I can not imagine what it is like to watch your brother coach Team USA to a tie against England. Jeff said he cried like a baby during the National Anthem. I think I'd be crying like a baby just taking the shuttle to the stadium.

Even though I don't cover soccer, I have been getting in the soccer mindset in a variety of ways this month. A couple weeks ago, I spent 10 days in NYC and bookended the trip with soccer outings. First, a group of my ESPN The Mag colleagues and I went to a Red Bulls game at their new stadium in New Jersey. Very cool, and a fun way to spend a Saturday evening. It was well worth the 3,000-mile commute.

THE GANG, AT THE GAME ...

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T FALL IN LOVE AT A SOCCER GAME? NOT ME!

The following Saturday, I played in the 2010 AdiCup tournament at Pier 42 in NYC with my friend Michelle and her squad from Paper magazine. I was an honorary Paper Shredder, and I must say, we were way better than we thought we would be. The only team that beat us won the whole championship. And man, they were scary good.

WE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE TOUGHEST -- BUT WE DEFINITELY HAD THE CUTEST UNIFORMS ...

I am also working on a story for our next issue that we are affectionately calling (for the moment, anyway) "How Soccer Explains the Sports World." We borrowed that title from the book, "How Soccer Explains the World." I found big-name athletes in six major sports who grew up playing soccer and who feel soccer shaped their skills in the game they currently play. Before flying to Chicago Thursday night for this BMX contest, I spent two days in Kona, Hawaii, with one of those athletes for a photo shoot and interview. Man, I hate it when an athlete requests that I come to where he is vacationing for a photo shoot and interview. Such a jerk you are, Steve Nash!

STEVE NASH ON THE THROW-IN TO HIS KONA CRUSH TEAMMATES ...

ME, IN THE TRENCHES ...

ANY KID WHO CAME DOWN THE SWIRLY SLIDE AT THIS PLAYGROUND GOT QUITE A SURPRISE ...

[PHOTO CREDIT/LENSMANSHIP: STACEY PRESSMAN]

The new issue of the magazine is out, with my story on How Soccer Explains the Sports World. Check it out here. The video highlighting the six photo shoots is lots of fun, too.

Last week, I flew to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to begin reporting for a story on Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. The piece will be part of our College Football Preview issue, out in mid-August, and it will be a good one. I spent time with Ingram on campus and got to witness, first-hand, the incredible golf game he left behind to play high school football. We hit the university driving range and I watched him blast a borrowed driver 330-plus off the tees ... in flip flops. It was a quick, but interesting window into the life of a guy fans don't know much about, aside from his stats and his dad. Hopefully this story will change that. And I hate to break it to you, Florida fans: He made it tough not to leave Tuscaloosa a Mark Ingram fan. Great guy with a great attitude and unwavering will to be the best at everything he does. Bama's going to have one tough offense to stop this season.

INGRAM, ABOUT TO CRUSH ONE OFF THE TEE ...

On Sunday, Lindsay and I sat fieldside (Thanks, Linz and Ben!) for game three in the Yankees three-game return to Dodger Stadium. Our seats were so close to the field--and the Yankees dugout--we were practically in the game. And what a game it was. Down by four in the 8th, the Yanks came back to tie it up and win by two in the 10th. I've definitely been spoiled by great games lately.

THE VIEW FROM OUR SEATS. WE WERE PRACTICALLY IN THE GAME ...

LINDSAY, RICH THE USHER AND ME ...

Now, I lock myself in my apartment for the week and write.