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

Dispatch 1, May 25:We received our first message from Team #4 last night, May 24th, at 9:30pm Alaska time. Tim Connelly, lead guide on the trip, spoke proudly of his team's productivity and industriousness over the last few days (which, conveniently, doubles as an excuse for not calling sooner). They have already made it to Camp 2 at 11,000' and plan to descend to 10,200' today to retrieve their cache and carry it back to camp. Tim left open the possibility of his team leapfrogging Camp 2 with their cache and dropping it off above at the next planned cache location at 13,500'.

While the teams higher up on the mountain have been steeling themselves against the high winds and cold temperatures, Team #4 is reveling in the improvement this weather system has brought to climbing conditions on the lower Kahiltna. Freezing temperatures below 11,000' have brought an end to the "hot weather and swampy snow" the team has been experiencing, firming up the ground and speeding the climbers' progress. Yesterday was Tim's birthday, so let's hope he savored his piece of the cheesecake that climber/Sara Lee employee Femke de Groot stowed away in her bag as a surprise for the team. The team's positive energy and excitement were contagious over the phone, and we look forward to hearing from them in the next couple days.

Dispatch 2, May 26: Team #4 contacted us yesterday afternoon, May 25th at 1:53pm Alaska time, during some well-earned down time. They had just returned to their camp at 11,000' with their cache from 10,200', having completed the round-trip between in three hours. That's especially fast considering the winds the team had to negotiate on the way down, which were heavy enough to put a sizable rip in their cook tent the night before. The team descended with the tent so they could escape the wind and repair the damage - while the guides mended the tent, the climbers worked together to redistribute the cache for the climb back up to camp. They are now sitting pretty again at 11,000' with a repaired tent and an entire afternoon in which to rest and rehydrate.

The team enjoyed yet another cheesecake last night - black cherry this time - courtesy of lead guide Tim Connelly. We're beginning to suspect that cheesecake is the secret to this team's speed (though we don't want to be accused of underestimating their physical conditioning or the experience of the guides). According to Tim, they're "cruising along without a problem so far. No blisters, colds, or altitude fatigue to speak of." Tomorrow, Team #4 will be carrying a cache up around Windy Corner at 13,500' and then dropping back down to camp at 11,000'. The forecast for Saturday is for more unstable weather, but the team is poised to take advantage of whatever breaks Mother Nature sends their way.

Just before Tim called, he had the pleasure of meeting Team #1 as they made their descent from high camp at 17,000'. The team made it down safely, after taking the brunt of the windstorm at high camp. Tim said Team #1 is "safe, happy, and ready to relax a bit while they wait for their flight out."

Dispatch 3, May 27: Team #4 arrives at 14,000' camp.

Tim Connelly called at 10:00pm Alaska time on Saturday the 27th to say that the team has arrived safely at 14,000' camp. They encountered extremely high winds - gusts of up to 50 mph - and poor visibility as they ascended to their new camp. After breaking down camp at 11,000' and rigging up their sleds, they started climbing at 9:00am on Saturday with storms forecasted for later in the day. They reached their camp at 14,000' at 3:00pm, having endured what Tim called "the most atrocious conditions [he] has ever experienced on Denali" - that's impressive coming from one of our most seasoned guides on the mountain. Tim said that "everyone did awesome," despite having to deal with a wind that "blew their sleds around, made them stop several times, and almost knocked them down on occasion."

The upshot to Team #4's prodigious effort on Saturday is that they can afford plenty of rest higher up on the mountain without losing any of the days they've allotted for their summit attempt. They are also now poised to take advantage of the good weather forecasted for Sunday and Monday.

Dispatch 4, May 28: Guide Gary Kuehn of Team #4 called on Sunday, May 28th, to update us on his team's progress since their wild climb around Windy Corner in full weather conditions, described by Tim Connelly in Saturday's eventful dispatch. On Sunday, the team descended to 13,200 to pick up their cache and brought it back to their present camp at 14,000'. According to Gary, "everyone on the team is doing well. The climbers felt much stronger on today's carry than they did the day before." The team is acclimating well and using less energy thanks to today's lighter loads and warmer temperatures.

Team #4 looks to take full advantage of this respite from the wind. Tomorrow, they plan to ascend the fixed lines and put in a cache of three to four days' worth of food at 16,200' before descending back to camp for a much-deserved day of rest. Gary said they are hoping that the teams who are currently camped at 17,000' will be attempting the summit over the next couple of days.

Dispatch 5, May 30: Tim Connelly called last night from his team's camp at 14,000' to report their progress. As of 10:00pm Alaska time on May 30th, the group was enjoying the remnants of a day spent resting and restoring their strength for the upcoming push to high camp. On May 29, the team carried four days' worth of food and fuel to a cache location at 16,200'. This required an ascent of the fixed lines that protect the steepest part of the slope between their camp at 14,000' and high camp at 17,000'. This is the most technically demanding section of the West Buttress, and Tim spoke proudly of his team's "good communication and coordination" in negotiating it.

On May 30, the team woke up "inside the proverbial ping pong ball," to borrow Tim's metaphor - it was another whiteout, with snow falling and accumulating to a depth of about ten inches by the end of the day. It was the "perfect day for a rest day," according to Tim, and Team #4 spent it enjoying "eggs, sausage, hash browns, coffee, and good conversation." The team spent the evening making preparations for the move up to high camp, sorting gear and building up strength for tomorrow's trail-breaking mission to 17,000'.

[Any inference previously made that team #4 was less seriously focused on fresh food than Team #3 is hereby withdrawn - though we will be curious to see their menu for high camp when the time comes.]

Dispatch 6, June 2: Tim Connelly called late Thursday night to report that Team #4 has arrived at high camp. The call came in at 11:25pm Alaska time; earlier in the day the team had spent ten hours climbing 3,000' through a foot of fresh snow. According to Tim, the team found it "hard to get going" from 14,000' camp because it was "a little nippy" in the morning - nothing like -6 degree Fahrenheit temperatures to test a climber's motivation. It was also snowing when they woke up, so the team did have the pleasure of a little extra rest while they waited for visibility to improve.

Little by little both the temperature and visibility increased, and they were able to leave camp by 9:45am, and much to their surprise, it turned out to be an incredible day. Once up the fixed ropes and on top of the Buttress, the climbers enjoyed "perfect climbing conditions and had an awesome time on the ridge," according to Tim. "We had blue skies, no wind, and a light blanket of fresh snow." It was a welcome respite from the weather everyone had withstood over the last week. Thanks to the team's willingness and ability to move through harsh conditions on the lower part of the mountain, they now are "sitting on a pile of weather days" as they wait for an opportunity to summit. Today they are resting, but we look forward to hearing what the weather holds for Team #4 tomorrow.

Dispatch 7, June 6: Good news from Denali - AAI's Denali Team #4 has reached the summit of North America! At 6:30pm on Monday June 5, Tim Connelly called in with this exciting dispatch:

"Hello from the top! I am very happy to say that all eleven members of Team #4 are currently standing on the summit of Denali at 20,320 feet! We left at 9:30am this morning and arrived at 6pm. Everyone is grinning huge, and there are handshakes and cheers going on all around and many pictures being taken.

Except for the cold (it's -27 degrees C), it's absolutely beautiful up here with hardly any wind, clear skies, and of course 360-degree views. There are a few low clouds in the valley, and we can see some planes in the distance. There are not very many people on the summit at all  just 11 of us from AAI, one other guided party, and three small private parties. We saw some people top out on the Cassin Ridge - they were pretty dang psyched. We've really had it good so far and feel lucky to have had the opportunity to summit and are proud of the effort it took to reach it.

We'll be heading down fairly soon - too cold to stay up here long. We'll call in with updates as we head down the mountain."

Congratulations to Team #4! We wish you a safe descent and look forward to hearing your detailed stories of this challenging ascent!

Dispatch 8, June 7: Tim Connelly called last night on behalf of Team #4 to let us know that they are resting at 14,000' and planning to make their way down to the airstrip tomorrow, June 8. The team decided to stop at 14,000' yesterday to rest and enjoy additional rejuvenation after their fourteen-hour summit push the day before.

According to Tim, "the team is well rested and have their appetites back. It could be the drop in altitude, but it might also be because we're not eating dried foods anymore. We're keeping our eye on the weather in hopes of making it all the way down to the airstrip tomorrow. Today it was cloudy, and we had a little snow, and it's looking like more of the same tomorrow. The weather's not that good, but plenty good for us."

Dispatch 9, June 8: After descending for nine hours from 14,000 feet, Team #4 reached Base Camp yesterday evening (June 7). After rolling into camp, guide Justin Wood called at 8pm Pacific time with the following message:

"Hello from Denali Base Camp (7200') - aka the 'Kahiltna International Airport'. We're glad to be here after a long descent from 14,000 feet. This morning we woke and ate a big breakfast by master backcountry chef Tim Connelly of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns, then set out for our final descent. The weather between 14,000 feet and 11,000 feet was horrendous - 30mph winds, knee-deep fresh snow in some areas, and whiteout conditions that had us navigating from wand to wand - but after that it cleared up. We passed AAI Denali Team #5, which was on its way up to Camp 2 (11,000'), and everyone looked strong and in good spirits. Further down the mountain, there were quite a few cracks on the lower Kahiltna Glacier which made our travel pretty interesting.

Other than that, we're happy to be here at Base Camp and will wait for a weather window to fly out, hopefully tomorrow. We'll be in touch.

Dispatch 10, June 9: Tim Connelly called in late yesterday afternoon (June 8) to say that Team #4 had just flown off the Kahiltna Glacier and arrived in Talkeetna. He reported that the team was busy unpacking and organizing gear and that they would soon be on their way to fill their stomachs with a hearty meal of beer and burgers.

Congratulations once again to Team #4 for their successful summit on Denali!