Dave Hahn, who has tallied 14 summits of Everest, the record for any non-Sherpa, provides his concise report on what the mountain means.

We don’t hear from Dave Hahn often. But in this dispatch the hardest working man in the guiding business checks in on the return from his 29th trip to Denali.

December 11, 2009 Drake Passage, one day out of Ushuaia By Dave Hahn The final days along the Antarctic Peninsula were stunningly beautiful. True to our plan, the team got to make an actual landing on the continent at Neko Harbour.

December 7, 2009 Danco Island, Antarctic Peninsula S 64˚ 43′ W 62˚ 35′ By Dave Hahn Those stormy and idle days at sea are now a distant memory. We’ve kept up a fairly aggressive schedule of landings and visits to various islands in the last few days

December 5, 2009 Bransfield Strait, South Shetland Islands S 62˚ 04′ W 57˚ 22′ By Dave Hahn Storms have been battering Clelia II for several days, wreaking havoc on the planned itinerary.

December 1, 2009 Moltke Harbour, South Georgia 54˚ 31′ S 36˚ 04′ W By Dave Hahn Drying out day! The past three were successfully jam-packed with a retracing of the Shackleton Crossing.

6:25 p.m. 800 miles from Ushuaia, 400 miles from South Georgia End of Second Day at Sea. By Dave Hahn Now looking out at whitecaps and angry seas under low overcast, it is tough to remember that just a few days back we were touring Tierra del Fuego National Park in spring conditions.