Joyce and Roger Madison of Gahanna are back home after spending days climbing Africa's tallest mountain to celebrate 60 years of marriage.

The couple, ages 79 and 80, attempted to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in September with two of their children and a friend. They trained for more than a year and got their doctor's approval before the trip, NBC4 reported.

The Madisons started their climb a day later than planned. After several days on the mountain, they decided to turn back and return to their hotel rather than push for the 19,341-foot summit.

Roger Madison said the climb had been on his bucket list.

"It was on my bucket list and we had put it off and we are still healthy," he told NBC4. "We went to our doctor to get approval. He said, 'Okay.'"

Joyce Madison said the Kilimanjaro trek was her husband's dream, not hers. But after 60 years of marriage, she agreed to give it a try.

The high school sweethearts married in 1966. They have traveled to Africa many times over the years and fell in love with Tanzania, according to NBC4's report before the couple departed.

Before leaving, Joyce Madison told NBC4 on Sept. 1 that the couple planned to carry a banner reading "Rodger and Joyce Celebrating 60 Years of Marriage" if they reached the top.

Mount Kilimanjaro stands at 19,341 feet, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The couple was joined on the trek by two of their children and a friend, though their names were not publicly identified.

The Madisons had hoped to reach the summit on their anniversary, Sept. 11. They turned back before that, but their 60th passed while they were on the slopes of Kilimanjaro with their family.