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yellowcanoe
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Our rhythms were never the same, ( me liking to get going in the AM, he a nite owl) but I enjoyed the eight trips I made with him.
( even though I always had to put up the tent and make his bed...!) ( we were always tentmates) You see , the tarp was what made camp and that was what he did first.
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goatroti
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I started tripping with Uncle Phil in 2007 and have been going back every year since. He was my tent mate, my paddling partner, and best of all my friend. He taught me a lot, enough that when he finally stopped tripping I became a trip leader.
He loved being out in the wilds with the guys and the gals with a pouch full of maps and an idea in his head. Often times he'd have Plan B, C, D, E and once up to Plan G already figured out by the end of breakfast if our original route seemed too much. He was always open to input though he could be stubborn too. At times we disagreed about routes that portages should take, but he was willing to see it out and was always glad if your bright idea worked.
He had definite, well-formed ideas about how camp should be set up, and meals prepared and canoes packed, but he'd been doing it for 50 years and up there in Wabakimi most of his ideas were good enough for me.
2019 will be the last years of organized Friends of Wabakimi reconnaissance trips. Future trips and information gathering will be initiated by people on their own Wabakimi area trips who will share any info they have with the Friends of Wabakimi.
Thanks to Phil I have many goods paddling friends scattered thoughout North America, and I will hopefully see many of them once again at his memorial gathering in Thunder Bay on July 7.
I will miss my paddling friend.
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HighnDry
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This obit was the the first one I was directed to from the myccr folks.
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HighnDry
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BWPaddler: "Does anyone have a link to an obituary for him? I tried a few days ago and couldn't come up with one of substance."
It's here.
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carmike
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Sad to hear the news, but thank you to those who've shared stories about him.
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adam
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RIP Phil. I admire the passion and dedication he had toward Wabakimi.
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BWPaddler
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HighnDry: " This obit was the the first one I was directed to from the myccr folks."
Thank you.
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FOG51
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The world of canoeing will surely miss this gentleman. FRED
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Portage99
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Since I heard the news, I have been thinking about Phil. His life was a testament to the impact one can make when you are true to a vision and a passion. He was laser-focused on Wabi, touched many lives, and opened up wilderness travel to many. Fly with the eagles, Phil!
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Thwarted
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I had a couple of conversations with him and liked him.
A nice man who LOVED Wabakimi and seemed to love people.
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BWPaddler
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yellowcanoe: "Our rhythms were never the same, ( me liking to get going in the AM, he a nite owl) but I enjoyed the eight trips I made with him.
( even though I always had to put up the tent and make his bed...!) ( we were always tentmates) You see , the tarp was what made camp and that was what he did first."
Lucky duck - maybe a blessing your rhythms were off if you were tent mates - each could claim a portion of the day to themselves...
RIP Uncle Phil
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arctic
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I had a couple of email chats with Uncle Phil a few years ago, and sent him the scans of maps where I had penciled in portages on an obscure Wabikimi route I did years ago. He was definitely passionate about the area. I've gotta wonder if anyone can really ever fill his shoes in terms of documenting and maintaining canoe routes in the area.
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BWPaddler
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Does anyone have a link to an obituary for him? I tried a few days ago and couldn't come up with one of substance.
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Canoe42
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That's very sad. I enjoyed chatting with him at Canoecopia.
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Bogwalker
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Happy to say I knew Phil and he will be missed. I hope his ashes are spread across the land he loved.
Always liked meeting him at the various shows and seeing what new angle he had to twist my arm to join him in Wabikimi. I never was able to make it, but I will always think of him as the Face and Friend of Wabikimi.
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deerfoot
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Phil Cotton of Thunder Bay, Ontario, founder of the Wabakimi Project and the Friends of Wabakimi, passed away over the weekend.
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OneMatch
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oh my, I didn't know this and am so sorry to hear it. I had the pleasure of camping and paddling with Phil and calling him my friend. He was a great advocate for Wabakimi and will be missed.
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odann
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Very sad to lose someone like Uncle Phil. The project maps were just a hint of his knowledge of Wabakimi. Fourteen years of all his waking time obsessing over old canoe routes... amazing. And the effort to document all this for folks that will never have the pleasure to know him.
Thanks Phil for showing me a whole different way to appreciate canoe tripping and its history of backcountry travel.
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HowardSprague
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Sorry to hear it. Met him once at Canoecopia, seemed like a good guy who did a lot of good, tireless work.
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HighnDry
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I'll miss him! I just attended his Wabakimi talk at MWM expo. He's truly a legend and will be missed.
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rtallent
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I was able to join Phil for a couple of week-long trips in the Wabakimi Area in 2011. I became hooked on the Project trips, Phil's vast knowledge of the region, and the great bunch of folks involved in the trips, and have been back for a couple of weeks, most years.
Uncle Phil could be opinionated and a curmudgeon at times (we got a kick out of that). He was also generous, entirely dedicated to mapping and conservation of the canoe routes, and a virtual historical library of the Little North. In our hearts, he paddles there, yet.
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BWPaddler
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HighnDry: "I'll miss him! I just attended his Wabakimi talk at MWM expo. He's truly a legend and will be missed."
Me too. He had a really nasty cough at that time. Hard to believe it was just about 7 days before he died. So very very sad!
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