OWNER: ERIC M. | WATCH OWNED: HUMBOLDT GMT
Owner Eric M. has had quite a few interesting experiences in his life. He grew up in Texas, but he’s long since traded in the heat and humidity for frigid Michigan winters. “I have no plans to ever move back. It’s too hot!”
The route to his current career as an IT program manager in the automotive industry was an interesting one. After graduating from high school, Eric didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. So, looking for direction, he completed the military entrance exam.
It was with the Air Force that Eric learned the technical skills, from satellite communications to secure networking, that he utilizes in his career to this day. After fulfilling his obligation to the Air Force and undertaking a short-lived attempt to become a biologist, Eric finally decided to employ the technology-related skills he honed in the military, and that ultimately led to his career in the automotive industry.
As a veteran, Eric finds it incredibly important to support his fellow service men and women. That’s why he became involved with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA). As a longtime hunter and fisherman, BHA was a natural fit for Eric, and he’s been a member since 2015.
He initially joined the organization to utilize the veteran discounts on their hunting and fishing trips, but it wasn’t long before he took on a leadership role in the organization.
In 2018, the BHA got the Armed Forces Initiative (AFI) off the ground. The AFI’s goal is to give veterans a place to connect with one another, to provide them with an outlet to exercise the skills they learned in the military.
“A lot of these guys, they get out and they don’t know how to readjust after being in for 10, 12, 15 years…Some of these guys come back, and they’ve seen a ton of combat.. All they know is holding a gun in their hand and guarding something or shooting back at something. So AFI really reinforces the fact that when you come back, there is an organization that you can make friends in, find people with similar problems with readjusting to civilian life, and in which you can still apply the skills you learned.”
There is also an important education and conservation component to the group. Eric explained that, “The purpose of this organization is not only to do trips. We’re an organization that gives active duty, veterans, and reserve military members experiences outside the military. The AFI is the BHA program focused on getting the military community into the backcountry to create more conservationists in this essential demographic.”
He added, “There’s always some kind of public land or public water component to it. We have educational classes at the end of every day. We have a person on-site, whether it’s a DNR biologist or even one of the guys who’s walking us through why we’re doing this. We’re not just out to hunt fish at night with a bow. We’re looking for invasive species. Why are we hunting those? What’s the purpose of taking those out of the ecosystem? So along with taking those soldiers out and letting them utilize their skills, we’re also training them and teaching them.”
Eric went on his first trip with the AFI branch of BHA in 2020. He and a small group of veterans traveled up to Ely, Minnesota to set out for several days in the majestic Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). And it was there that he really got a sense for what the AFI could be.
“Me and about ten other guys, we came up with a game plan that first night, and we basically just winged it. We looked at all our gear, sorted it all out on the ground on a tarp, and rationed out our food. We spent about eight days out in the Boundary Waters and had a blast. We fished every chance we got. That’s pretty much all we did was fish and eat and fish and eat. If we weren’t sleeping, we were fishing.”
Along the way, Trevor Hubbs, former coordinator of the AFI, asked Eric if he’d be interested in serving as the Michigan state liaison for the group. After some thought and weighing whether he could balance his many other obligations, he decided to jump at the opportunity.
Since then, Eric has organized several trips with AFI. “Last year, I took about 20 veterans in Michigan on four or five different trips. We did a bow fishing trip on Lake Erie, a waterfowl hunt in the Upper Peninsula, and a pheasant hunt out in central Michigan.”
Most recently, in September 2023, Eric and a group of vets set out once again for the BWCA. This trip was particularly grueling. Over the course of seven days, the group hiked around 78 miles, visited around 20 lakes, and had to haul their canoes across some lengthy portages.
As a group of veterans, you can bet that they had a strict regimen to follow. For meals, “one crew would clean the fish, and one crew would cook. Another crew would clean up after that. It was very militaristic. Everyone’s got a job, and we all work as a team.”
So, what do you need to bring if you’re planning your own excursion to the Boundary Waters? Of course, you need the essentials: a sleeping bag and pad, reusable water bottle, a good pair of shoes.
When asked about the one piece of gear you shouldn’t leave at home, Eric replied, “The first trip I did, I didn’t have a canoe seat. I’m in my 40s, so I’m not like some of these guys in their 20s and 30s. They can be hunched over and paddle all day long and not give it a second thought. So I said, if I come back here, I’m getting a canoe seat! At first, everyone gave me shit for having one, but by the third day, they were like, ‘can I try that seat out?’”
Speaking of gear, Eric is, of course, a watch guy. And his time in the military really shaped the ethos behind why and what he collects. “I bought my first real watch, a Victorinox Summit, from the PX on base when I first got to South Dakota in 1996. I had that with me the entire time I was in the military.” That watch occupies a special place in his collection to this day.
Since then, he’s begun collecting military chronographs, field watches, issued watches, and everything in between. As he puts it, “I fell down a rabbit hole, and it’s been hard to climb out.”
On his trip to the Boundary Waters, Eric was sporting a white dial Humboldt GMT on his wrist. The ruggedness of the watch, with its robust water resistance, capacity to track multiple time zones, and even its ability to function as a compass if worse comes to worst, make it perfect for the wilderness.
The Boundary Waters is a special place. Talk to anyone who’s had the privilege of experiencing it, and they’ll tell you it’s hard to put into words. As Eric put it, “It’s magical. That’s the only word I have for it. Once you leave Ely and get over that first portage, you’ve suddenly turned into a place with almost no one there. You feel like you’re in a different era, like you’ve stepped back into the dinosaur age.”
You probably won’t encounter any dinosaurs in the Boundary Waters, but you’re likely to see lots of other incredible wildlife. Eric commented on the abundant population of bald eagles that live in the BWCA. They’re majestic creatures, but you’d better reel your fish in quickly or else they’ll swoop in and steal your catch!
You may also be treated to the sounds of howling wolves in the distance. As Eric explained, “You never see them, but you certainly hear them.”
If you're a city dweller, you might imagine yourself as a version of Joe Pesci’s character, Vinny, in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny. In one iconic scene, Vinny, a New Yorker who’s been offered a secluded cabin in which to get some rest, is unable to sleep because it’s simply too quiet, and the sounds of the screeching wildlife aren’t as soothing as the honks and sirens to which he’s accustomed. But Eric assured me that, after a long day of portaging and fishing, you’d have no choice but to pass out for the night.
Being so isolated in the elements is not without its challenges. “There was one day that it just rained all day on us. We were cold and frigid, and everything was wet.”
And the full-time residents of the Boundary Waters can make things difficult, too. “We had to wade through one of our portages because a beaver had dammed up one of the creeks…That was probably one of the worst days. It was in the mid-30s, we’re soaking wet to the bone, walking through beaver piss water. And when we got to our campsite, we couldn’t get the fire started. You started seeing guys just drop left and right.”
Despite having to brave the harsh elements, there’s a lot of joy and even humor to be found out in the wilderness. Eric related one particularly funny incident in which one of the guys attempted the difficult task of fly fishing from a canoe.
“So he stands up and starts casting. We’re about 100 yards away just casting our reels into the water. Then we look over and there’s no guy and no boat. He’d capsized the whole boat. Gear is just floating everywhere.”
While fly fishing from a canoe may be ill-advised, journeying to the Boundary Waters is an incredible experience. Eric pointed out that he already misses it and is looking forward to returning in the near future.
He has a few other AFI events planned for this year, too. They’ll be doing another bow fishing trip on Lake Erie, a duck camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and an upcoming orienteering skills course during which DNR officials will work with about 20 individuals to use a map and compass to find their way out of the woods.
If you’re an active duty, a veteran, or a reserve military member in Michigan looking to connect with other like minded folks, drop Eric a line. And if you’re looking to experience the BWCA for yourself, stay tuned! Oak & Oscar has a future trip in the works!
Are you an Owner? Do you have a story? Of course you do! We’re always looking to meet our Owners and share their adventures on our site and with our fans. Send us a message and let us know you’d be willing to chat with us about you and your adventures, and we’ll do the rest.
