Sixty-four years later, writer Matthew Power and photographer Bobby Model retrace one of climbing's most extraordinary escapades. Photograph by Matthew Power
This was our camp on the second night, which was situated on the flanks of Mount Kenya at around 12,000 feet [3,658 meters]. You walk up out of the rain forest, out of the bamboo, and you come into this landscape. It's about six o'clock in the morning. Bobby is looking at the morning sun. The Kenyan highlands are a mile [1.6 kilometers] below us.
With constant rainfall and sunlight, all sorts of alpine plants thrive in the tropical climate. It was just extraordinary for lobelias and giant groundsels. These same plants in alpine regions of Europe or the U.S. would be much smaller. Here they grow to epic proportions. —Contributing Editor Matthew Power
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