“Jesus!” exclaims Jeff. “Yes, and that’s not all,” says Truette warming to his tale, “Sanders has a bite, declares it delicious, so he writes to Betty Crocker:”
“Dear Betty Crocker:” laughs Truette. Dave begins to smile too. Jeff says, “You’re kidding.”
“No. No kidding. You’ve got to know Sanders!” exclaims Truette. “So he writes Betty Crocker a letter and says to her: ‘I believe that you might use this recipe for PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY SANDWICHES EXTRAORDINAIRE’.” Truette is bursting with laughter. He can hardly talk for laughing.
“Here is how it goes:
Make sandwiches one loaf at a time.
Sleep on them for two nights.
The third night soak them, then freeze.
Next morning, drop them two thousand feet and serve.”
Truette, Dave and Jeff all three erupt with laughter and the bus shakes with their roars until they are out of breath.
The bus rolls into Highlands and passes out the other side. The nearness of their objective brings their minds back to plans, estimates of arrival time and how long they can sleep. The night driving phase is coming to a close, melting into the pre-climb preparations, and a transient feeling of moving from known to unknown passes among them.
There is lots of snow east of Highlands. Ice patches show the location of day long shadows. Dave drives cautiously. He slows so as not to go by the turn off the highway to the access road at Whiteside. It is easy to miss, especially in the dark. Dave can remember overshooting it in daylight. He squints through the night to see the way and makes the turn. Dave guides the bus up the base of Whiteside Mountain on Wildcat Cliff Road. It is a narrow, well paved road switch-backing its way up the side of the mountain. There are luxury homes in the dark on either side. Part way up, Dave turns sharply left onto the start of an old access road and presses the brake pedal a last time. The bus comes to a bouncing, snow crunching halt at the edge of the snow and ice covered, impassable road leading up the west side of the mountain.
Stubbs, Truette (2013-04-19). STARSHINE: 1978 Mountaineering History Making Ice Climb on the North Face of Whiteside Mountain in North Carolina USA (Kindle Locations 526-538). Truette T. Stubbs. Kindle Edition.