Do Go On - 128 - The Death of Carl McCunn

Episode Date: April 4, 2018

It's the first live episode of the year, in it we talk about the death of Carl McCunn. Carl was an outdoorsman and wildlife photographer who went on a solo trip to the Alaskan wilderness and didn't come back alive, this is his story. You can also support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/DoGoOnPod- Submit a topic idea directly to the hat: http://bit.ly/DoGoOnHat Twitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: [e-mail] REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/13/Photographer-Carl-McCunn-stranded-and-starving-in-the-Alaskan/7238408603600/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/19/us/left-in-wilds-man-penned-dying-record.htmlhttp://chipandtracy.com/pg/news/view/sj-history-mystery/the-strange-death-ofhttps://books.google.com.au/books?id=fGZ1CPK5GNoC&dqhttps://www.graylinealaska.com/blog/49-things-you-didnt-know-about-alaska/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melbourne and Canada, we got exciting news for you. And we should also say this is 2026. Jess, what year is it? 2026. Thank God you're here. Right now, I'm in Melbourne doing my show with Serenji Amarna 630 each night at the Cooper's Inn Hotel, having so much fun. We'd love to see you there. Canada, we are visiting you in September this year.

If you've somehow missed the news, we are heading up Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto for shows. That's going to be so much fun. Tickets for all this stuff, I believe, are online. And I'm here too. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates. Now on with the show live from Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Hello.

Good afternoon. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome down to Do Go On, our first show live at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. How you doing? That's what I'm talking about. So good to see you all. Now, my name is Dave Ornikey, and I'm just one humble third of this show. Would you please go crazy for the better half of the show? they are two beautiful people. The Sass twins themselves, please give it up

the two and only. Just Perkins and Matt Stewart. What a pleasure. Hello. So good to be here. All right. Dave looked at me like, what the fuck you told me? You don't feel good to be here, Dave?

No, the raptures of course is so loud. I was like, what the fuck is Matt saying? Do you say it's good to be here? Yeah. Yeah. It is good to be here. Okay, just relaying that in case you couldn't hear that either. Guys, I'm just wanting to say it's good to be here.

I've got claps. Fuck you, yes! Give me a round of applause if you feel good to be here. Thank you very much. Great to be here. It's... It is... I want to say it's good to be here.

Great, well... Well, how well, look, we now have heard his opinion. How's everyone? You? You're great. Well, you got out there, sir. How are you going to be great? Good luck.

No, I'm pretty good. Pretty good, all right. No, no, no, but she's honest. Yeah. And I like that. Is anyone feeling pretty shit? Good. That's good.

That's good. That's good, there were good. Bottle it up. So I'm fine. So Jess has already started drinking, so that's a good sign for the show. Matt abstaining because you are reporting today, which I appreciate. Yeah. Yeah, I never drink and report.

You know that. I know that about me. That's one of the things. The unspoon rule. But I was like, oh, Jesus. Did you really fall off the chair? No, I just, I ran out of momentum in that sentence. That's good, because you're doing most of the talking today.

So that's good, isn't it? We're talking earlier because Matt and I are obviously the SaaS twins. But Dave and I don't really have a title when it's Matt's report. So, Dave, what could we be? Babe Bros. Don't touch me. Okay. Babe bros.

I know that would have looked a bit weird because as I was looking at you, I said babe and I started leaning in. I think I saved it with bros. I didn't say it. No, no, no, babe bros it is. All right, let's do it. How do babe bros operate?

Because sass twins are sassy. What the fuck are babe bros? Just a lot of this. Yeah. Do we call him babe a lot too? Babe, do go on. He hated it. days.

Matt, what about you and I? Do we have a duo name? Sick? No. Remember we said no more sea words. Well, Jess, you're doing a lot of shooting down here with not putting out any of your own ideas. True, true. Oh yeah.

The supportive buddies. Babe bros, it is. Okay. We're all babe bros and it is babe and good to be here at the European Beer Cafe. give us a round of applause if you've ever heard the podcast before. Thank you.

Now give us a slightly more awkward applause if you've never heard the podcast before. That's okay. Tentative. Tentative applause. And that's fine because you'd expect us to pick on you. That's fine. Welcome.

This is a safe place. I feel like that is either the highest ratio of people have heard the show before or some of you are fucking lying. That could be happening right now. But anyway, if you haven't heard the show before, what's going to happen here is one of us this week, Matt, is going to

do a report on a topic that the other two, the Baberos here, have no idea what it's going to be about. And, Matt, have you prepared a question to get us onto set topic? Yes, I have. Look, it sounds like you haven't prepared a question.

No, no, that was me playing up. No, actually, I just wanted to say, because you know last time, oh, hello. Last time I did a live report, I ended up doing, I misjudged a little bit and did a really sad report for Christmas time? What was the title of that episode?

The Five Saddest Murders around Christmas ever? No, it was the five Christmas time mysteries that just happened to be sad. I want to reinforce that mysteries. Like I'd accidentally misremembered the title of the show. I do remember that it was called that, but it was

very, very sad. Anyway, this time around, I'm like, I'm only going to put up, because we get these choices voted on right. So I'm like, I'm going to put up three happy and joy topics, right? So they have to choose that, right? So I put up three happy and joyous topics.

Okay. Yeah, like, I thought I did, but I actually put up two happy and joyous topics and one kind of sad, fucked one. I wonder which one they voted for. About 80%. Went for the,

went for the sad death. Sad death. So 80% were the 20% margin of error. Yeah, not a lot of life lovers on our Patreon apparently, but anyway, so the question this week, it's only vague, any

patrons in? Anyone vote on this topic? It's a resounding, nah. Nah, I checked with all the others. Nah. So the question this week, it's only vaguely related to the topic it is, because you won't know the topic, I don't think. The question is,

which state in America was bought off the Russians in 1876? I think Dave will probably know So Jess I want you to have a girl Okay Oh you're genuinely I'm going to have a guess

I mean there's only 50 to choose from Did you know there were 50? Is that true? 51, that is absolutely untrue Because I will be in the cold cold ground Before I recognise Missouri Simpson

Already in Already is Simpson Yeah Alright Dave do you have any idea No, I don't want to guess You worry that you will say Los Angeles or something Go on

Dave, do you know Let's just move on I mean, is it Alaska? Yes, all right Is it? Yes So this week It's the one that Sarah Palin can see from her house

Yes What, I mean, her house is in Alaska So of course she can see Of course she can see It's really accurate Comedically flawed Look down at her feet and she can see it, yes I meant she can see Russia from her house

Fuck! The 51st state, am I right? So this week's episode is about An American Wildlife photographer named Carl McCann Who died. Sorry, one more time One more time for the name? Carl, surname specifically.

McCann. McCann. I think I'm starting to realize why they voted for this one. McCunney, all right. That's pretty good. You bloody funny McCunney. That's good.

That's fun. That's fun. Wow, look at that already. We're having fun. He hasn't even died yet. That's when it really kicks in. So he will die? Yes.

We'll all die, Dave. You're spoiling my life as well. No, the topic's called The Death of Carl McCann. Yeah, right. And when you put that in the hat, you thought, great, there's three happy suggestions for everyone. Are you fucking serious?

I need something else happy and cheerbook for our live show. I mean, I only browsed it. I only very briefly skimmed through. And it sounded like fun. And the word death didn't give it away at all. You skimmed through the title. Yeah. The McCund.

All right, yeah, I'm in. Carl is a great name. Okay. Well, let's see how you can bury this show on the ground. This is the story of his demise in the in hospitable Alaskan Wild. Seems like you ask him through that word as well. I said all the important bits. You knew what I meant.

So this cheerful topic was suggested by listener Matt Doosh. Matt Doosh in tonight. He's from the south of England. It would be a buddy good effort. Never know. It would be fucking impressive. Geez, not just That guy really would have been impressed

But no, not to be Sorry about that So let's talk about I would love to talk more about Matt Doche But I don't know anything about him Let's talk about Carl Funny McCunney She's that's disrespectably died Not that long ago

I just had to ask the audience Are you familiar with the work of Funny McConey? Any McConey heads in Sorry to do all the cliche call and response stuff early I say McCunney You say

Born in West Germany While his dad Donovan McCunney McCann was Serving there in the US Army Carl grew up in San Antonio I skipped a lot there anyway He grew up in Texas Doesn't matter

Let's get to the death He served In the US Navy For about four years after He got through college How long is the death going to be Nah look A 45 minute long death.

Matt's going to act it out. By the 1970s he'd moved to Alaska. Oh, topical. We were just talking about Alaska. Living in the city... Living in the city of Fairbanks, the people who don't know showbiz won't realize that I set that all up. He winked at me.

It's so good because before we walked out, Matt went, I'm feeling a bit flat. And I went, I reckon you'll be wrong. once you're out there. To give you a picture of Mr. McCowney, for those of you who don't know what he looks like, anyone here not know... He had curly, reddish, blonde hair,

and he was a big unit standing about 6'2 tall and about 110 kilos. So, big, big man. I really, I really want you guys to picture him before you get sad about him dying. I want you to feel some attachment, some connection. To our man McCunney.

As well as his Navy experience, he also was a reasonably skilled outdoorsman. And in 1976, he spent about five months living solo in the tough Alaskan wilderness. So he was no chump. He knew what he was doing out there. And he was pretty familiar with the area, right? Where he ended up dying.

He was familiar with all of Alaska. Yeah. Area. Well, I was... Oh, the area of Alaska. Yeah, that area. Oh, bloody hell. Just pay a little bit of attention.

Little bit of me. In 1981, he was ready for another stint of solo Alaskan outback living. That's what they call it, I think. Thank you. The valley he was keen on was so isolated from the outside world that it didn't have a name, and he also

had to be flown in. You couldn't get there by Jeep Rangor or... To be, you know, if you're going to be specific... Or any other make, to be honest. What about a hammer? I'm a... I'll have to check. I didn't look that up.

I'd have to check that. What about a hovercraft? Oh, getting warmer. Yeah. What about? A plane. Yes. Definitely a plane.

But what do you tell the pilot if you want to go somewhere that doesn't have a name? Yeah, that's tricky. That is tricky. You just say the Alaska area. Yeah. You know.

Okay, right. I understand now. And you're wink. You give him a big old wink. And he's like, got it. He was it. A guy who knew the area pretty well.

said don't go there there's no migrating animals and that's what you go on there to photographer was that a direct quote yeah it's an Alaskan dialect they do it a little differently up there if I say anything weird that's why so so his pilot Roger Mayer dropped him at his campsite on the nameless lake in the Nameless Valley as the winter of 1980 to 81 was turning into spring so They were coming out of a long winter And that's when he Set down there

He wanted to document the area Through his camera lens He wanted to check out the wildlife And the natural beauties I guess Just like you too And he Dave quick

Look beautiful I didn't have to move What happened to move? I did I did He was like Alright He's gonna take a good 10 to 15

So everybody get comfy So he was there for his camera, right? So he brought a bunch of camera gear, also brought 500 rolls of film. This is in the days before, digital cameras. Hey? That's too many. Can you believe it? Interesting fact early.

That's too many rolls of film. There's a lot of rolls of film. That's a lot of rolls of film. He also brought a tent. I think that was smart. 1,400 pounds of food, including five gallon buckets of rice, beans, and wheat, as well as guns with ammunition. I think you want to bring both of those.

One without the other. Pretty silly. So he was well prepared to stay, and he was planning to stay until August, so five-ish months again, though nothing was set in stone. He didn't have anything locked down as an exit date or anything like that.

He also kept a journal, and it was on loosely paper. It ended up in about 100 pages long. So most of this report comes from that journal. going to do a voice? I don't know, let's see. Okay. Let's find out together.

Let me know. Let me know if I've done a voice. Oh, he's done a voice. The journal was found by Alaska State Troopers next to his body in February the following year. Right. So... Oh, that's the death part.

And so completes my report. So, yeah, so it ended up... He wanted to leave their lateish... August and he was found dead in February. It's a fucking difficult word. Could have been any other month. March, I can do that. Say late, it was late Feb, so it could have been March.

Oh, Febs's good as well. I'm going to say Feb if they comes up again. Feb's great. February. Nope. The early diary entries describe animals returning from their winter hibernation with McCunney commenting. I'd love to hear his comments on animals.

Humans are so out of their modern dying. Where's this guy from again? I don't know what that... It sounded like... It sounded like Mr. Bean. It did sound like Mr. Bean. All right, let me try again.

I think this quote needs to be said in a certain voice. Humans are so out of their... modern day element in a place like this. So I don't know if that'll follow on, but anyway, I think that's how, that was my read of it. It's my interpretation. Some sort of valley girl. Yeah, he's in the valley.

He's the unknown valley girl. He's an unnamed valley girl. He saw Seahawks. No, he didn't. He saw hawks. It would have been probably weird from them to be, anyway, he saw hawks. He saw the,

Seattle Seahawks gridiron team. He saw Ravens. He saw a moose splashing around in the lake. Thought about shooting it. But with a camera or a gun? You'd think camera. He did do with a camera and he thought about it with a gun, but he couldn't see antlers.

So he goes, just in case... It's a woman moose. Just in case it's a woman who looks incredibly like a moose. I don't shoot women moose. I've always said that. I think everyone should live... Yeah, he genuinely wrote that and his... Not his calendar, he's whatever that fucking...

The journal. God damn it. Anyway, it sounded great. It sounded like a beautiful, beautiful experience. Like, it was there. He was living it. He was doing it. He was looting it. You just keep looking past me to Dave.

Hello. Well, look in Dave's eyes. It feels like everything's going to be okay. That's true. When I look in your eyes, madness is all I see. Yeah, it's about right. So he was taking photos and documenting what he saw.

He was having a bloody great time, to be honest. But you guys aren't here to hear about the good times. No, we are. No, that's... No, no, no. So let's skip ahead a few months to when McCann was starting to realize that the pilot who he'd made loose plans to come back to collect him in August wasn't going to arrive.

Oh. This is what he wrote. Did he get a text? Running late. And it was L.A. be there in mid-Feb yeah because he couldn't he couldn't type out February oh who could even say it so this is when he was starting to realize that he wrote in his journal I think I should have I think he's lost a lot of weight

yeah I think he has yeah I think I should have used more foresight about arranging my departure I'll soon find out I'm down to be I'm down to beans now just over a gallon That may not last two weeks. I finished my rice yesterday. You just got a gallon of beans. That sounds like a lot to me. I picture that as like a barrel. Oh wait. Have you got some cheese and some like, you know, some bread?

I could be alright. Maybe some guac. Oh, a bit of glock. No, he didn't have any of that. Oh, no, that's grossly. Just the, just the beans. If you can't make quesadillas. And I can't.

What's the point of living? Good, very good point. I knew you were there. to make the good point. All right. Running low on provisions. He realized that it was... Running low on beans.

He realized that he was going to have to rely more heavily on hunting to survive. I've got a big fan of beans up the back corner. The 4.30 show. What are you doing? Let's fucking get around it. Yeah! No. Can I have...

Can I have... Do you mind if I have a... quick guess as to who that was, was that Mr. John Perkins? He's a loose unit. Don't engage, Dad. So... The glass just hits here. Yeah, that was Dad, yep.

He's got a bloody good arm, Johnny. So yeah, so he realised he was going to have to rely more on hunting to survive. And then he wrote... I mean, he don't get down to two litres of beans and then think, I probably should have shot something. But not a lady moose. A loose. They're not all winners, okay?

Comedy's hit and miss. I was just about to say... I'm doing my best. This is a... I'm trying to teach people lessons about death. Stop making light of it. So yeah, so he realised he was going to have to... He did regret not killing that moose later on.

Did you write that? Yeah, he wrote that. He said, I wish I killed that fucking moose. I thought he said. I wish that. I hope they are my final word. I wish I killed that fucking moose. Bang.

I assume I've been shot by the moose. So when he was starting to realize he needed to do some hunting right, he wrote this. He goes, I keep thinking of all the shotgun shells I threw away about two months ago. had five boxes and when I kept seeing them sitting there I felt rather silly for having brought so many I felt like a real war monger so I threw them away

apparently he chucked them into the lake Does this feel a bit like a Birkenwills for you Like is this It's like Birken Wolves but somehow dumber No don't say that He threw away the bullets With all that food that I decided I didn't need He kept a handful of bullets

He kept some bullets But he just chucked out most of them He could have buried him Or just put him over there He chucked him into the lake What a maniac! Couldn't believe it Better than chucking him into a fire

Yeah His journal was becoming less meticulous Early on it was all neat block letters But as it went on it was Just capitals hungry This was bad idea. By mid-org, he was... He wasn't even dating his entries anymore.

He just really bloody lost it, Dave. So how do we know it was mid-org? Well, that's a bloody guesstimate mode. He was now having to spend a large portion of his days searching for food. He was shooting ducks and muskrats with the few bullets he had left. And according to a New York Times report was even drying the meat of a caribou that died in the lake.

So he was making it work. Caribou, I think, is like, is that reindeer in Australia? It's an Australian reindeer, isn't it? You said yes to Australian reindeer, you idiot. No, you're right. Oh, boy. It was meant to be joke anger, and it just felt real, didn't it? It felt real.

He was feeling increasingly anxious writing, come on please don't leave me hanging and fretting like this I didn't come out here for that which I found surprising because when I visit Alaskan wilderness I go for the hangin but I stay for the fretting that was the closest thing to a joke that I wrote in this report and when when you wrote that what noise did you make afterwards I went oh there's no time creep riding show's about to start I sort of yo-yoed between blaming himself and blaming his

friends for his predicament. He wondered why... Okay, what? How? I can't believe my friend Keith threw all my bullets in the river. What a fucking idiot. Fuck you, Keith. How is it anyone else's fault? Before he left, he labelled on multiple maps, his location, and sent them to his family and

he's like, surely they'd be wondering where I am by now. Surely they could have sent someone to have a looker. But it turns out he said stuff to family and friends like, I don't know when I'll be back. Don't worry about me if I'm a bit late and stuff like that. So you can sort of understand while they were confused. But back in his hometown, his friends were starting to become concerned, and they contacted the Alaska State Troopers to see if they would go and check in on him.

And they did. A trooper named David Hamilton set off to fly over McCann's camp to check on him. When McCann heard the airplane overhead, it must have been such a sweet sound. Like, he's like, I've been saved, this is so good. He grabbed his sleeping bag, which is orange, which is apparently some sort of international colour for I'm fucked or something. And he was swinging around his head right. And then he tried to get the pilot's attention, which he did. In his journal, though, he wrote this, he wrote, unfortunately it was on wheels and couldn't land.

So I stopped waving. it after its first pass, then got busy packing things up and getting ready to break camp. So he's like, they've seen me. They'll come back. They got wheels, so they need the sled thing or whatever to land. They'll come back with an appropriate plane for me. So while he was waiting, McCann kept packing his camp down while he waited for the pilot to organise a plane with appropriate landing gear to arrive.

But as the hours passed by, he started to wonder if the plane was going to return at all riding. As sunset approached, I began to doubt if the pilot took me serious. I certainly hope he didn't think that me having stopped waving men I thought he might have been someone else at first or something. Sorry. Oh my God. No, this is good for the gene pool. Get rid of him.

The plane never did return, and realizing this a few days later, McCann was saddened, or in his words, totally disappointed, bummed out and somewhat worried. That's a direct quote From our Valley Boy I'm glad he died Because he would be terrible on Twitter He would be really really annoying

He's writing He's actually a really nice writer But anyway I think it was a truck driver By trade A truck driver Yes Is that true?

I think so I read that in one place Alright I'm not going to put my life on it But I think so It wasn't until later So he's now a bit despondent. He's like, fucking plane.

They obviously misunderstood me, right? But it wasn't until later when he noticed the distress signal guide printed on his hunting licence that he figured out what happened. This is what he said. I recall riding my right hand, shoulder high, shaking my fist on the plane's second pass. It was like a cheer,

like what you do when your team scored a touchdown or something. Turns out that's the signal for all okay. Do not wait. So what's the signal again? fist pumping is I'm all good yeah apparently so then he went on to say

sentences maybe is the weirdest one of the report he said they probably blew me off as a weirdo I've never heard it in that context before he said it's certainly my fault I'm here now exclamation mark bloody hell mate probably be another five months before another plane passes over He was actually about 50 miles from the nearest plane route,

so it was very unlikely that a plane would just fly overhead. So if it was coming, it would be on purpose, you know. And that one was looking for him. That one was looking for him, yes. But they saw him do a fist pump and went... He's all right. All good. They also saw that he had heaps of firewood stacked up.

His tent was there. Heaps of beans. They saw a river full of bullets. Keep going. No one who is in trouble. throws their bullets away. Yeah, exactly. He's got too many bullets.

So when he realized, when he realized that he'd accidentally made the signal for fuck off him all right, he goes, he wrote, I really feel like a klutz. What, that must have been, that's got to be one of the worst roller coaster

rides of emotion ever. You know, I'm saved. Oh, no. Yeah, real roller coaster. You know those roller coasters you're on where you're like, whoa! Oh no. On again.

The weather was now getting harsher. The lake froze over, so we're moving back into winter months, and he was having to compete with foxes and wolves for food. Things were getting colder and more miserable for McCann, and he was riding or rope. It's been a terrible day for me, and I won't go into it.

Like this guy. What was he hoping for? Come back around. He's the best. Was he hoping, like, some sort of... One of the foxes would come over and be like, nah, mate, tell us about it. He's an attention-seeking teenager. I'm not talking about it.

I'm not talking about it. No, I'm fine. There's no one there. Oh, he's the best. I'm on Team McCunney now. He wrote that he's getting more frostbitten every day and he only had beans left, which we'd already mentioned. He said, honestly, he was scared for his life.

He was scared for his life, but I won't give up, he said. He won't give up. He started... He was listening to a lot of pink. Yeah. He's feeling very motivated. She's very motivated. I was going to say, his pick motivation.

Oh, yeah. He kept thinking, I am going to come up and get this party started. Only pink song I could think of. It really was. It was the only one. Charlie's Angels soundtrack? Do the song, Dave. Don't leave me hanging on this one.

I feel like I've disappointed all the fucking pink fans. I'm so sorry. I am really sorry, I am. He started setting up traps to catch rabbits and squirrels and the traps worked, but often by the time he got there to collect the carcasses, he found that he was beaten there by a wolf or a fox, and they only left rabbit feet or heads. Which are lucky?

And that's what he had to eat. The note said sucked in again. He also, he coordinated a squirrel one time, writing that he didn't find it very satisfying saying was only a tease even when you chew he said it's only a tease meaning for like hunger wise

only a tease that it would fill him up then use the word snack he said even even when you chew and swallow all the bones too so he was getting pretty desperate I guess by the stage he wrote of shooting and eating a fox

eating all parts including the tongue heart and liver. The guy who wrote about this, he goes, as well as all the normal parts of the body. I like that that guy thinks of a heart as being an abnormal part of a body. All right. Things got so desperate that he ate his condiments, including salt, pepper and thyme.

I was certain you were going to say he ate all his condoms. I was certain. I was certain. Which makes time look a lot nicer to me. Yeah. He said he ate the condiments, even though I knew that wouldn't be very feeling. He was just trying to let his stomach know that he was still there. So he ate the salt.

Yeah, that's a fantastic idea. Eat a bunch of salt. He even, he started peeling bark off trees and eating that. But now he doesn't have any condiments to put on it. Salt on bark is delicious Surely you spread the condiments out Don't eat them in, don't shot them That's weird

He was starting to have dizzy spells Saying I feel miserable Have had the chills upon awakening For the past three days But I don't want to talk about it I can't take much more of this Can't stop thinking about using the bullet Oh no, oh Matt

You guys know how this ends right Fuck, sorry, all right. Big surprise coming. Three happy topics is what you promised. Life was becoming grim for McCann, I would say. That's my own editorialising there, but I think I'm going out on a limb there. He was running out of faith and the will to go on, writing, fell to my knees today on the lake and begged God's help and mercy.

I'm sure he heard me, but I don't know if he should have any reason to want to to help. Yeah, that's... I feel so many things right now. I know, like, the human part of me is like, this poor barson, the other part's like, ugh. Because you know if you knew him in real life, he'd just suck so much.

Just be such a sulk. I mean, he's in a pretty tough... Yeah. I mean, there's only one person that put him in that tough situation. Yeah. Art. Yeah, his friend's...

Keith. Fucking Keith. The weather deteriorated further and so did his will to live. He was out of food and with a fire burning the last fuel that he had, McCann wrote his final journal entry. Oh God. And burning the last of my emergency Coleman light and just fed the fire the last of my split wood.

When the ashes cool, I'll be cooling along with them. See, quite a great right? That's a really nice line, right? Isn't that kind of beautifully written? You heard that groan, yeah? I thought that was the groan of delight. You did this to us. Look, he's not done, he's still talking.

Let him, let the man speak. His last words in your buddy, but he's still talking over him. Female privilege, am I right? Yeah, everyone looked at your face. Waiting for the regret. I was really counting on our great listeners and their understanding of irony. But I was disappointed yet again, you guys.

He went on to say, I chickened out once already, but I don't want to go through the chills again. They say it doesn't hurt, and people who have died and been revived recall a relaxed and wonderful free, floating feeling. Dear God in heaven, I don't know why he's writing to God in his journal. Anyway, dear God in heaven, please forgive me my weakness and my sins, suicide's of sin.

Please look over. He didn't write. that please look over... He wrote that in very small writing. Please look over my family, huh? Selfless? Why are you justifying it to me? Because... I'm on Team McCunney.

Oh, you are too. He also wrote a message to his father attaching it to his driver's license to help identify him, I assume. You wrote, I assume, in there too. Shut the... You shut, you shut up. I read whatever is written.

I don't look, that was a matter of hours ago, and I don't recall that, but anyway, I wrote through the night. I lost hope in stages, so much so that I threw some pens in the lake. Riff King, all right. In the note, he left his belongings to his father and also said that whoever found him

could take his guns as some sort of reward, I guess. Gee, thanks. I killed myself with this. Yours now But was that written in someone else's handwriting? Yeah, give the guy who found me Just give him the guns Says here I could take these guns

He also left me his house and his wife Ah, you read that you've already You read ahead In February, thank you 1982 982 A good year Some of you have been waiting for that

And now can leave the rest of the show See ya Approximately two to three months After his final note Alaska State Troopers Found his tent zipped up They cut into it

And found McCun's emaciated and frozen body So they didn't use the zip I had I had the exact same thought I mean If he's still in there They've just destroyed a man's tent This building has a door

We better blow up the side of it Amazing. And with the knife, they cut into him as they ripped it down. That was already there. I'm assuming it was frozen over or something, but they did not make mention of that. So yeah, good question, well asked, well done. So they, and the journal was just sitting right there next one, obviously. That's where he would have left it.

Didn't have time to move it after the end. According to the New York Times, he died in a wilderness camp near a nameless lake in a nameless valley, Nameless Valley, 225 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Somebody named the lake. It feels like he probably deserves it as much as anyone. Is it named after him now? As far as I know, it's still unnamed. Lake McComb.

Actually, no, to be honest, this article I'm referencing was from 1982. Things may have changed. In the journal, he also named Rory Coochshank as the man he had expected to return to take him home. Oh, name and shake. And shame. Huh, Rory? Where were you? So, yeah, apparently they'd discussed it before he left.

And this all led to the coroner's inquest, which found that Coochshank was innocent of any responsibility. During the inquest, multiple witnesses testified that no plans were locked in for Coochshank to return to collect McCann. So it's interesting, right? He really did plan out his trip really meticulously. Everything he brought along. He seemed like he really knew what he was doing.

Parts of the story that I didn't mention, he built his own bed. When the weather was turning, he knew to dig four feet down to make some sort of a trench. He didn't kill a moose. There's lots of things. Yeah, I just didn't. No, there was a bunch of stuff that made me think like, oh, this guy knows what he's doing. But yeah, the return flight. Feels fairly important.

Yeah, like, I reckon it's even, you know, it's pretty courageous to get a one-way ticket to Europe or something, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. Out of way. What if you rang out of cash? Rang out of cash? All right. Nearly at the end here.

So, yeah, he planned out his trip so meticulously, even marking his campsite on those maps, sending them to friends. But saying, don't worry about it. But failed to organise what I would argue is one of the key. elements of a successful trip like this and that was to get away home. Agree with me there? I mean, I literally said that about a minute ago, so yep. But do you agree with me?

He seemed to think that the plans had been made though. He wrote so in the journal, obviously, that he thought... You would though, wouldn't you? Like you'd blame someone else. Maybe, but you're going to die anyway, so surely why would you push that guilt under something? So you look like a hero. This guy comes off very heroically. He's nailed that, hasn't he?

But apart from those things, it sounds like he was a bit confused because he also wrote in his journal that Crookshank told me not to count on his help as he may be in Anchorage working. Hang on what? He told... He said in his own journal that Crookshank had told him not to count on him

because he may be away working. Okay, and then when he was blaming at the end, did he say, ignore page 86. Redacted, redacted, yeah. He started crossing that out. He may be away.

He may be away. Wow. The coroner also found that McCann's death was a suicide, which I felt like that was a bit of an open and shut sort of case.

Obviously, he was in an area. He died of a bullet wound, and he was in an area without any other human. So unless it was the moose. Say it into the... I hope that picked it up. That's good stuff.

It had to be the moose. Yeah. But he spared the moose. Yeah, that would have been real dog act by the moose. Maybe the wolf. I mean, he also could have blamed this crookshank bloke and said, Crookshank's got a gun to my head. Oh no, he's going to kill me.

Dot, dot, dot. And he's like, fucking got him. Fucking got him. But then his mistake was that he wrote, bang, I'm dead now. And that's what gave it away. At the time McCann's dad, Donovan, said, if anything comes of his death,

it will be to caution other people not to get in the same circumstances. If only we can keep one person from going through what that kid went through, it'll all be worth it. He didn't say that last bit. Surely he would never have thought it would be worth it. What the fuck have you done?

I mean, it was just... Okay, so that... That is my report. on the death of Carl McCann. You could argue, and some might. I don't know, you could argue. Now you look at me. It was a little dark in parts.

So I thought I'd end the show, or at least the report, with some fun facts. These fun facts are about the state of Alaska. There's no fun facts about McCann, I'm afraid. Let's go bigger, let's go broader, all right? So Alaska, the funest state of all! Fun Alaskan facts, are you pumped? I'm excited.

Obviously, Jess decides what's fun facts and what's not, but I'm pretty confident of these ones. Here are my fun facts, all right. How about this one? It is illegal to whisper in someone's ear while they are moose hunting in Alaska. Fun fact. Sound guy.

I don't know if anyone I honestly assumed that was an earthquake legit it went I went all right be calm seriously I thought it was a fucking earthquake this is like the time he played Anastasia he is good he is very very good webby and in his defense when he played Anastasia I also assumed it was some sort of earthquake it was crazy down here oh my god so you can't you can't whisper at someone's but what if you're whispering I think it's a lady moose That's important. Yeah.

That's important. Or like, don't shoot, it's a child. Darren. Suddenly, I'm going to jail for whispering. It's a fuck state. I told you that. I told you that. So, just to be clear,

are we going to hear that earthquake sound every time there's a fun... No, we're not... We're not... No promises either way. Let's all find out together Yeah, was the fact fun, that was fun I'd say that's pretty fun

That's pretty fun I haven't had a fun fact that got the fun approval from you in a long time I'm a tough judge My, my, the way I figure it out though Is like, would I tell that at a dinner party Because I get lots of dinner parties you see Why is that funny?

I'm sophisticated I mean, you're probably Fucks You probably won't tell that fact now just in case some sort of earthquake sound immediately follows it. It's very triggering. It summons as an earthquake.

All right, next fun fact. Next alleged fun fact. Alaska has the lowest population density of any state in America. If New York City had the same population density as Alaska, only 16 people would be living in Manhattan. That's not fun. Fun fact!

That is amazing! He didn't even turn it down. You knew it was coming in something. People still visibly recoiled. How come you're now judging if they're fun or not? That is for only 16 people who live in Manhattan. That's amazing. Yeah, isn't that fun?

What a fun time. I considered making them all dull like that. I found too many good ones. These last two are crackers. All right. You ready for another one? Ready. So you're saying that was not...

That was not fun. Okay. One from two. Pretty happy with that. Here we go. The Alaskan town of Talkeetna had a cat name... Stubbs as its honorary mayor for 15 years.

Fun fact! Yes. Yes. That is a fun fact. Look at him, little mayor. Little cat mare. How do you do, mayor? He's sitting at his desk? It's very cute. Just fucking paperwork all day. I'm under the pub. I'm the mayor!

That's a sitcom. Nobody else do it. I'm writing it. I've got a question. was he voted out or did he die? 15 years, you say 15 years? 15's pretty good. Yeah, I think he died. I think he probably died.

No, there's a rule in that town. You can only do 15 years. That's reasonable. It's now a... Another cat. All right. You couldn't think of another animal. I could.

Go on now. Do one. I mean, I'm thinking moose, but it feels like moose has been done. Okay. Katzen. Yeah, having a moose mess. Give me another lead in. Let's see how we go here. It's raining, Katzen. Daj.

It was worth a bloody shot. All right. Last one. That joke, we could tell who actually listens to the Patreon shoutouts at the end of our show and who skips those. So about this area here, everyone else absolutely skips that every week. So there you go. It's also the name of the guy who was suggesting. of this topic. Matt, dais. Thanks so much for doing that, Matt.

That sounds like you're talking to yourself. Good job, Matt. You're the best one. Here's the last final fact, JP. Sorry, I was just talking. I'll take it from here. Thank you. Feminism. Sorry, what were you saying? No, it doesn't matter.

No, they don't like it when we fight, do they? Lucky we never do Final possible fun fact Apparently it is legal to shoot bears in Alaska Not Lady Moose Oh my God I wish that was that's so much

So much more fun than this No go on Alright I'm going to incorporate that in Yeah it's going to Everyone just take five Memory's very small That's all right let's see what this one is Okay.

You guys are seeing comedy happen live. Last one. Amazing. You forgot to do inverted commas. Comedy. Thank you. Last potential fun fact here. Apparently it is legal to shoot bears in Alaska,

but waking a sleeping bear to take a photograph of them is prohibited, as is shooting Lady Moose. Fun fuck! And that is the end of the report. Right, well done. Let's get it. Give it to where me. I think the highlight for me was the earthquake sound.

That was so terrifying. But I feel like we've all learned a lot today, especially what not to do in Alaska. So if one person can learn from this, remember what his dad said? It'll all be worth it that my kid is dead. That whole family's fucked. You're paraphrasing there, to be honest. Dave, you're going to wrap this shit up or what?

Well, uh... Ladies and gentlemen, if you will allow me to wrap this shit up. Before you go, can we have a big round of applause to Shane Donlop for recording these on film? Thank you, Shane. Jeremy Webb on tech, thank you, Webby. Hey, Webby.

He's the earthquake guy. Thanks to Carl Chandler for organizing this a million great podcasts down here at the European Beer Cafe, so please do check those out. But until next week, we'll say thank you. say goodbye. Also thank you, Bianca Prattland.

Yeah, thank you, Bianca, too. Bye-bye. What a fun show that was. Hey, it's me, Matt, back in the studio, sitting here all by myself. Not sad. Feel real good. It feels good.

What a fun. That was a really fun episode. Anyway, at the end of the episode, what we normally do is we thank our Patreon supporters. If you want to be a Patreon supporter, you can check it out at patreon.com slash do go on pod. there's all these things you can get like a bonus episodes. We're now doing two bonus episodes a month.

I also do an infrequent newsletter catch-up. We do some live videos, video chat things and a few other little bits and pieces. And basically, you're the guys who keep the show afloat, which we really appreciate. Thank you so much for that. If you want to contact us elsewhere, we're on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, all of it is do-go-1. pod um but yeah well normally at the end of the episodes we like to thank uh some patreon supporters uh i've got three lined up here it's bloody it's way harder to do without the others to make it funny but um this is just going to be supercency normally we'd make it some sort of a game i don't

know what kind of game we could do today maybe it's um maybe it's what crucial mistake uh would these patreon supporters make if they were going to live in alaska for a month by them ourselves. Obviously, our man McCarney, he forgot to book a flight home, which turned out to be a mistake, you could argue. I haven't thought this through, but hopefully my riffing brain is on. I'm doing this in the morning, and it probably isn't. Anyway, I'm babbling now. Sorry about that. I'd love to thank from, bloody hell, Wigton, Cumbria, Mr. Ross Macphadzian. Ross McFadzian. That's a sick name. It says Wigton, Cumbria. Let me look it up. I'm fascinated by Wigton. Okay, Wikipedia. If it's got a Wikipedia page, that means it's a legit place. It's a market town in Cumbria, England.

Historically, in Cumberland. It lies just outside the lake, oh, the beautiful lake district. Right, love that area. Had some great times around there. All right, Wigton. Sick name. I wonder if there is, it was like, because you know, town's normally based on the name. I wonder if it was like it's a shortening of wigtown. That's where all the wigs. Look, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I'm pretty sure that was where wigs were invented. Ross McFadzian, please email and to let us know.

Now, I'd say, Ross's, obviously, this just goes without saying Ross's crucial mistake he made when he went in the alternative universe where he went to live in Alaska by himself for a while, he forgot to pack enough warm wigs. and he died of heat loss out of his head. Yep, that is what I'm going with. I have the ability to stop and do it again, but I will not do it.

This is one take Matt Stewart here. That's what they call me. Thanks so much, Ross, you fucking legend. Love your work. Medfadzian. McFadzian. So good. I'd also love to thank.

From Vandenberg, California. Jessica Gibbons. Jess, thanks so much for your support, your legend. Let me look up Vandenberg, AFBCA. Our AFB is Air Force Base. Bloody hell, the picture on the Wikipedia is like a rocket launcher. From space, Air Force Base. It's the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing.

Fucking hell, that sounds cool. It's a missile testing base. Holy shit. You're probably real smart. Jessica Gibbons, what crucial mistake would you make? A rocket scientist, I assume. You obviously did not book your return rocket home. Can you get a rocket to Alaska?

These are the things I don't know. I've never lived on a rocket launching base. Certainly not in Vandenberg, California. Hopefully I'm allowed to be saying these things. Let us know and I'll take this all down. This is hopefully not secret. Fuck, would it be? Anyway, Jessica, thanks so much for your support.

That is so cool to know that someone is watching rockets go off while listening to our stupid show. What a funny mix of things. I'd also love to thank from just around the corner from here in Vermont, South Victoria. Love to thank Georgia Cowling. Thanks so much for your support, Georgia Cowling. I'm on south. I mean, it is not far from here, but I'll see if it's got a Wikipedia page anyway.

Oh, it does. That's great. It's a suburb of Melbourne. 20 kilometres east of Melbourne's Central Business District. All right. I mean, no rocket launching there or anything too exciting. History. It was Rulandri Land. Hunters and gatherers. First settlers were woodcutters and charcoal. burners. Okay. That's a... Wow, charcoal burners was a thing that people did for a living. Okay. Hey, Georgia, are you a charcoal burner? Thanks so much for your support. That is so cool. Hopefully, maybe you're even at the live show. If not, hopefully you're at one of the ones coming out. Please do come and say hello. I'd love to thank you for your support. You haven't given me anything

obvious there. I need something obvious to work off. Vermont South. All right, now, obviously. being a Melbourneian. Your crucial mistake was you forgot to pack a bloody good quality coffee, barista-grade coffee machine maker, Marat. You just didn't get your bloody caffeine hit in the morning and you just weren't yourself. So that was your big mistake and you ended up throwing, no, you threw your coffee machine in the lake when you felt weird or something. Fuck, this is good.

This is good solid riffing. Thank you so much, Georgia Cowling, you legend. Georgia, Jessica Ross. Three of the best. So sorry that you weren't here a week where Dave and Jess didn't get to read out your names. Hopefully you're not too shuddered about that. Let us know, obviously, if it is a real big issue for you, I'll get them to do it on a future week. I really will do that.

Thanks so much. I love that. Love that so much. We'll be back next week with another live episode. I think, I forget who's. reporter will be, I guess it's Jesses or Dave's. Anyway, we'll see you then.

Thanks so much for you listening and talk soon. Bye. Later. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates. It's not optional. You have to do it. We used to go easy on it, but now you have to.

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