Following is a series of dispatches received via satellite phone throughout the expedition:

Dispatch #1: June 15

We received our first dispatch from Team 7:

"We have all made it onto the glacier safely! We are all stoked and excited to finally be beginning this expedition, and everyone is feeling very healthy. At this time, we are making preparations to make the move to Camp 1, and will call again soon. "

Dispatch #2: June 16

We just received an update from guide Justin:

"We arrived on the glacier yesterday (Sunday) when we had a good weather window in which to move. The planes landed and dropped us all off at about 5:00pm. After we got onto the glacier, we ate a nice pasta salad and fresh bread for dinner. Then, we practiced rigging our sleds, and went over some basic glacier travel skills before making the hike to Camp 1. We left at 12:00am (midnight!) last night, and arrived at Camp 1 at 6:00am. The plan is to carry to 10,500' later this evening. So far, it has been hot and sunny all day on the Kahiltna glacier."

Dispatch #3: June 17

Justin's daily dispatch, reporting some changes to their team:

"Overall, the team has been doing great. We made a carry up higher today, and that took about 8 hours. It has been really hot and sunny, so we have been climbing late at night to avoid overheating. The heat hasn't affected the safety of the glacier though, so that is good. Tonight, Johnny and Jeremy will be taking two of our climbers back. The two friends have decided to return for some personal and health related reasons, but we will miss their company."

"Tomorrow we will head to Camp 2 when Johnny and Jeremy return."

Dispatch #4: June 19

We just picked up a dispatch from Johnny, who seems to be enjoying the food and his time with Team 7:

"We are up at Camp 2 tonight, and the weather is beautiful and blue and clear. I am really happy because we had bacon and eggs this morning! Then later this morning, we went down to pick up our cache at 10,000'. The cache had Reese's Pieces in it, which has been the high point of Camp 2 so far. There are just a few of the candies left. For dinner tonight, we had pizza, which went down really well. Then we had a long conversation about everyone's worst jobs ever."

"It is late at night right now, but we are going to try and use the cool night weather to head up to cache at 14,000' if possible. We'll just have to see how we feel as we move up. Everyone is acclimatizing really well, and the climb today felt easier for everyone."

Dispatch #5: June 22

An update from Johnny late Saturday night:

"Hello from Camp 3! Yesterday, we dropped a cache off at 13,500', and descended back down to Camp 2. Today, we ascended to Camp 3, and worked very hard to establish a home here. But the Reese's Peanutbutter Cups are still at 13,500', so we are going back down for those tomorrow (Sunday)."

"The team was really strong today. When we got up to camp, it was considerably colder than a couple thousand feet below, and so we set up camp and have been drinking hot water and becoming accustomed to the new surroundings. The big disappointment is that at this altitude, our Ipods don't work, so no more Cindy Lauper's 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' for the team. I don't know what we'll do without our music - just kidding! I hope you are all having a great weekend, and we'll call again soon."

Dispatch #6: June 23

We just spoke with Justin and Jeremy, who are resting with Team 7 at Camp 3:

"Hello! We are taking a rest day at Camp 3. We spent the day reviewing fixed line techniques, as well as just hydrating and fueling up for tomorrow's climb. The weather was very warm today. Tomorrow we hope to cache up at 17,000' - if not, at least at 16,200'. It is pretty fun up here right now, because Team 8 is here as well. We are hanging out right now, and tonight are going to see how many people we can squeeze into the cook tent."

Dispatch #7: June 25

We just spoke with Aidan, who gave a report for both Teams 7 and 8 who are at Camp 3 together:

"Hello everyone! Well, because both the teams are together at Camp 3 right now, we made our cache at the same time today. We all got up early, and cached at 16,200'. Although we had hoped to make it to 17,000', the winds were high and the decision was made to descend. The teams both did great on the fixed lines, I am happy to say. We will most likely spend the next couple days hanging out at Camp 3, at 14,000', as the weather is supposed to turn for the worst for awhile. I actually don't mind, because these extra days will help us acclimate as best we can. Team 7 will head up to High Camp as soon as possible though, just because they have less time now in their schedule. Last night was fun too, by the way, as lots of women were in camp! We played games, and all hung out together. We'll let you know when we decide to move higher, bye for now!"

Dispatch #8: June 26

Justin sent in a dispatch from Camp 3, where both Teams 7 and 8 are stationed:

"Everthing is going well up here. There is a storm reported to come in on Friday, so we are waiting it out at Camp 3. The plan is to move up to high camp on Saturday or Sunday. We have been a bit stir crazy up here, since we've been hanging out for a few days now, but it was good that we were able to make a carry yesterday. Once the good weather moves in, we'll be in a great spot to move up higher. Today we ate canned bread and we are making chicken curry for dinner."

Dispatch #9: June 27

We just spoke briefly with Justin and Aidan, who are both huddled in their tents at Camp 3:

"Well, we are still up at Camp 3. It is snowing very heavily, and we're all rotting in our tents - I think we're a bit frustrated with the weather. To keep ourselves occupied, we've been playing penalty frisbee - if you miss a pass you have to do push-ups and sit-ups! So at least we're getting stronger here. There are about 5 or 6 other expeditions up here, and everyone is anxious to keep moving on up to high camp. The weather is supposed to continue to be snowy through Saturday. Tomorrow we might potentially move higher, but we'll have to wait and check the snow and avalanche conditions in the morning. We'll call and let you know when we move."

Dispatch #10: June 28

Justin left a brief dispatch, letting us know that they are still camped out at 14,000':

"Guess where we are? We're still at Camp 3! I can't believe it, it has been almost a week here. But we need to wait out the storm. The temperature is actually warm in camp for Denali standards, 17-degrees, but the forecast is for some very cold fronts to come in. Today Johnny and Aidan went on a mission to the top of the fixed lines to possibly move the cache up higher. This would make the hike to high camp much easier. Tomorrow, if we get a chance to move up, we will take 5 days worth of food and hope for a good window of weather."

Dispatch #11: June 30

We just heard from Jeremy and Aidan, who have made it up to High Camp with Teams 7 and 8:

"We are at High Camp at 17,000', getting ready for a summit bid tomorrow. The skies are clear, and currently, there is no wind. The hike up here was almost entirely in the sunshine and the ridge was in great shape. There are many other parties up here right now, preparing for their summit bids as well. I think we will try and get a very early start because there are so many people. Today we took a rest day, and worked on settling into camp. We are making some soup for a late afternoon snack, and will be eating freeze-drieds for dinner. The view is incredible, and and right now there are some low clouds that are covering everything but the highest mountains in the landscape."

Dispatch #12: July 2

Great news - all of Teams 7 and 8 have summited! Here are reports from both Justin and Aidan:

Justin: "We are back at high camp after successfully reaching the summit of Denali! Right now I am just drinking a bit of hot coco, and we are packing up to begin the long hike back to the airstrip."

Aidan: "It was a beautiful summit! Every single person made it to the top. The day started out slowly, as we were behind many other groups on the Autobahn, but we ended up being the very first team to summit out of all the other expeditions up there. Right now, we are all feeling good, and ready to begin the march back to Base Camp. We hope to all be there by tomorrow mid-day."

Dispatch #12: July 3

We just received word from K2 Aviation that both Teams 7 and 8 flew off the glacier safely today. Everyone is excited to grab a drink and a real meal together, and then head home to their families.

Stay tuned for photos and stories from the 2008 season to be posted on the AAI Blog, and have a great 4th of July!