“Give me your camera. Let me take some pictures of you with it in the back ground and then you can take some of me.” Jeff says. “Okay, wait while I put on the pack.” It occurs to Truette that the pictures will be more impressive with the blue Lowe Alpine pack strapped on his back – the final touch to his mountaineering costume and something to send Jeff Lowe.
Jeff crampons down onto the ice below the ledge and begins checking through the lens. He is excited. Truette is dwarfed by the ice, all blue in shadow. He talks while still holding the camera against his face framing the picture,
“This is stupendous! I don’t believe we climbed that. Jesus!” The shutter clicks open and shut. Jeff crampons clink on the ice as he dances back and forth testing different angles through the lens. Truette stands at the center of the ledge with the ice straight above him. He has one foot forward in his most dominating stance and turns his head down toward Jeff. Jeff snaps a picture. Then he skitters, skating on his crampons further down the ice more to his left.
“Look up at it,” he instructs Truette, “I’ll try to get the whole thing in.” Truette crosses the ledge, looks over his right shoulder up at the ice; seeing the sky above the top most part. He hears the click-whir of the shutter opening and closing and then he turns to look at Jeff again, breaking his pose to signal it is his turn to photograph Jeff now. Jeff gets the message. He says, “Okay, just one more.” He backs up sighting through the camera and with it still against his face he kneels on the ice in search of maximum perspective for his last photo.
Instantly, his knees begin to slide, his crampons pry off the ice and silently and in exaggerated like slow motion he slides. With one hand he holds the camera up away from being damaged against the ice and with the other he tries to grab something to restore his balance and there is nothing, only ice. Then his feet kick wildly to place a crampon point but he slides faster, very fast, faster out of control.
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 2606-2621). Truette T. Stubbs. Kindle Edition.