Before Dan's climb, his girlfriend Ashley asked friends and family to write letters to him
Among the many heart-wrenching stories of loss emerging from Nepal is this. Dan Fredinburg, the 33-year-old Google executive who died in an avalanche at Mt Everest base camp caused by the earthquake that devastated the country, was carrying letters from friends and family. They had asked him not to read the letters before he reached the summit.
Now, his friends will never know if he read their heartfelt messages or not before his tragic death.
Dan's friend Max Stossel, who had written one of the letters, posted the note on Facebook on Sunday. In the Facebook post, he wrote that Dan, one his 'dearest friends,' was a wonderful human being.
"He was a silent force for justice in the world in a way I thought only existed in fiction, someone who cared about others so much that he sometimes had trouble looking them in the eye. Someone who created fun and mischief out of thin air. Someone who broke up fights by walking into the middle of them and dancing with both fighters," he wrote.
Before Dan's climb, his girlfriend Ashley asked friends and family to write letters to him, so that he could read them when he reached the top of Everest.
The letter read:
'Dan (dan dan dan)
You must be really high up for this written Echo (echo echo). Everyone you know and love is eventually going to die (die die die). When we do, we leave behind our stories.
Those stories are told and passed on, impacting the lives of others until they are stories (stories stories stories).
'Your story has already greatly impacted mine for the better. With each adventure you return with stories that most people wouldn't dream of experiencing themselves (selves selves selves). Thank you for pushing the human race to be greater, more daring, and to truly live life rather than survive it (it it it).
'I love you, brother. Please return safely with stories (stories stores).
And even if you don't... We'll all be horrified, saddened, and heartbroken, that we can't create new stories with you but we'll also know that you've already lived the equivalent of at least 100 lifetimes.
You are a f****** champion. Safe, wonderful & breathtaking journey.
Love, Max Stossel (ossel ossel).' Stossel wrote in his Facebook post, "I hope he got a chance to read this one, and if he didn't, I hope he can somehow feel it now, along with the unbelievable amount of love and stories being shared around the world in his honor."
Dan Fredinburg was one of four Americans killed in the earthquake, registering a magnitude of 7.9, that hit Nepal on Saturday. Fredinburg had worked at Google since 2007, where he described himself as "Google Adventurer." He had led a number of expeditions to the Everest area, taking images for Google's Street View project.