Tales of death and despair in the frozen north aren’t new in Alaskan folklore, but seldom have men recorded their own fatal adventure as graphically as wildlife photographer Carl McCunn. When a state trooper cut open the tent and found McCunn’s wasted body in February 1982, he also found a diary the starving man had kept until he ended his suffering with a self-inflicted gunshot. McCunn died in a wilderness camp near a nameless lake in a nameless valley 225 northeast of Fairbanks. He had gone there to photograph the tundra, but had not been specific about plans to be flown out. He had been flown into the valley in March 1981 as winter was ending. He knew the area because in 1976 he had spent five months alone in the desolate Brooks Range. This time, with about 500 rolls of film, photography equipment, firearms, and 1,400 pounds of provisions, he had planned to stay through mid-August. At the time, he was 6’2” and weighed about 240 pounds. By early August, with his supplies dwindling, his concern grew. He spent much of his time searching for food, shooting some ducks and muskrats, and drying the meat of a caribou that died in the lake. Meanwhile, concerned friends asked Alaska State Troopers to check on McCunn. Trooper David Hamilton flew over McCunn’s camp and saw him waiving a red bag. On the third pass, he turned and walked back toward the tent casually. “We surmised there was no immediate danger or need for emergency aid,” said Trooper Hamilton. What, in fact, had happened is that McCunn had accidentally given the pilot an “all is well” signal. In November, McCunn ran out of food. He considered walking to Fort Yukon 75 miles away, but decided against it. Around Thanksgiving, he used the last of his fuel. He left a note that read: “Dear God in Heaven, please forgive me my weakness and my sins. Please look over my family.” He left a note saying his personal items should be returned to his father and that whoever found him should keep his rifle and shotgun.
