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

Dispatch #1: June 18

We have received our first dispatch from Aidan with Team 8 on their way to Base Camp:

"We are currently (4:00pm) boarding the plane to fly into Base Camp on Denali. It is always exciting to fly in right on schedule. At the airport, the weather is sunny with blue skies, and we hope that the weather at Base Camp follows suit. We are a small team, compared to some of the other teams, and we have all gotten to know each other and are getting along very well. Everyone seems very strong and in shape."

Dispatch #2: June 19

We just heard from Aidan and Team 8:

"We made it successfully onto the glacier. The flight landed about 4:00pm, and so we settled into Base Camp by eating dinner and reviewing skills. We are now on a night schedule - meaning that we will be traveling at night, since it is so light out. We haven't gotten much sleep yet, but we did make it to Camp 1 at the base of Ski Hill. Everyone is doing well, and say 'hi' to friends and family for us!"

Dispatch #3: June 23

We just got off the phone with Aidan, who sounds like he is having a great time with Team 8:

"We made it up to Camp 3 this morning, after a very late night/ early morning hike. We left Camp 2 at 4:00am last night, and arrived at 14,000' at 10:30am. Team 7 is up here as well, and it is really nice to see everyone and have a big group to hang out with."

"The weather is quite warm here - we can all walk around in t-shirts when the sun is radiating through the clouds like it is today. It is lightly snowing, but not enough to keep the heat away. Right now, we are just letting our stomachs settle from our pancake lunch, and relaxing until dinner later tonight. Everyone seems to be in great shape still, and people are acclimatizing on schedule."

Dispatch #4: June 24

We picked up a dispatch from Aidan and Team 8:

"We sat around Camp 3 and took a rest day. Earlier in the day we marched over to the 'End of the World' and stared into the overcast sky and clouds. After we returned, we improved camp a bit and did fixed line practice, because tomorrow we will head up to cache up at 17,000'. The weather forecast is for partly cloudy skies and so it will be cooler for the hike up."

"Right now, Tino - one of the guides - is trying to find Love Line on the radio, which has been the highlight of the evening. We are also listening to Peter Gabriel, 'Blinded by Science,' a classic that is reminiscent of 7th grade for me."

Dispatch #5: 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 #6: 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 #7: 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 #8: 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 #9: 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 #10: 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!