This week on "Wisconsin Life": Meet a crop duster who soars through the air, a veteran taking the reins, Whoa, yes! a founder who reels in new members, and a baker known far and wide as the "pie guy." It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life!" Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. Welcome to "Wisconsin Life." Angela Fitzgerald here. I'm at the Brule River State Forest ready to embark on a canoe trip down the waterway. The state forest is in Douglas County and has the entire 44 miles of pristine Bois Brule River in its boundaries. With more than 40,000 acres of land, the area is known for its world-class trout fishing. That sport has brought famous visitors here in the past, earning it the nickname "The River of Presidents." To the north, the spring-fed river winds through rocks creating thrilling rapids that eventually flow into Lake Superior. Today, we are paddling the much calmer southern portion of the river and I invited Dennis Bowen and Aaron Carlson, local guides from Brule River Canoe Rental, to join me. But before we hit the river, we set to the skies. We met a crop duster in Waupun who soars high and low to get the job done.
birds chirping
Look at all those buddies right there. They're all over. The leafhoppers carry a virus called aster yellows. And when their mouth parts penetrate the leaves, they infect the plant with that virus and begin to kill the plant. When a pest gets to a certain level, it's going to cause crop loss. And that's why we have to be here all the time.
click, whirr, nnneeaoowww
We are known as crop dusters. But we are aerial applicators. We haven't been putting out any dust for many, many decades. This type of flying is really unique. There is very little time spent in straight and level flight. There's no autopilot. And the aircraft is constantly being maneuvered by the pilot. It's a skill set that takes time to develop, and to me, it's the type of flying that I want to do.
nnneeaoowww
birds chirping
We're at the world headquarters of Dairyland Aviation here in Waupun, Wisconsin. Flying is a family tradition. I was about four or five years old and was walking on the property alongside my dad, and I just told him that, "When I grow up, I want to be a pilot like you, Dad." My grandfather's Roy Reabe. He was a transport pilot during World War II. When the war ended, Grandpa started the crop dusting company in the late 1940s here in Waupun. The amount of work that I can cover in an hour compared to what Grandpa could do with his first airplane is a factor of about 15. It's changed so much and I think he'd just really love to be here to see it. So the airplane is quite sophisticated as you can see. I go to my GPS tablet and I select how I'm going to spray the field. The field's shape and what's around the field will determine which one of these patterns I select.
nnneeaoowww
The optimum height is a boom height of approximately eight foot, which puts the wheels at approximately five feet.
nnneeaoowww
I don't view it as dangerous. Every pilot that flies an aircraft has to be able to land it. And when you land, you have to know where your wheels are "visually," right? So while it seems like a really difficult thing to do, knowing how high your wheels are above the ground is actually just part of flying. It's all about safety. We take a lot of precautions. We are looking for obstructions and people near the field. The idea of being a daredevil simply doesn't fit. It requires all of your attention and all of your mental processes to fly, and particularly be an aerial applicator. It's fun. I'm in a place where all of my thoughts are focused on doing the job. And when that happens, everything else goes away. It's just a wonderful feeling.
nnneeaoowww
Next up, we connect with a veteran in Eau Claire who finds comfort in caring for a four-legged friend. Strength comes in many forms.
bucket clangs
For Tyler Slabey, it meant finding the courage to conquer his demons.
solemn single piano note
At 18 years old, Tyler joined the Marines. It was September 2001. I went through boot camp. Went through my tank school. I was an M1A1 tank crewman. In 2003, he deployed to the Middle East, spending nine months in combat during the Iraq war. Nine months that still haunt him today. That was the single most terrifying thing I've ever done in my life. It's... um... I lost my best friend there. I lost a lot of good, good, good people. It's.... it's not something... It's not an experience that I'd wish on my worst enemy. Tyler retired from service in 2005, but the images of war were seared into his memory. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and it consumed him. I was just so full of hate and anger when I got out. It was either death or a better way.
flags flapping
The path to a better way began here. Tyler was referred to Trinity Equestrian Center in Eau Claire. It's a faith-based non-profit that provides free horse therapy to veterans with PTSD. When Tyler first came here, he was extremely isolated. He didn't leave his house except to get his dog's food. I wouldn't go outside. I wouldn't... I wasn't eating. I just didn't care about myself at all, essentially. The program pairs each veteran with a therapy horse. Oh, I thought it was a joke, completely. Just to be completely honest, you know? And I said, "How is a horse going to help me, um, with this?"
whispering
It's okay. Tyler's teamed up with Sterling, who, like most horses, has a mind of his own. You'll go through the other one, but not this one, huh?
making kissy sounds
Come on, come on.
Nope. - Elizabeth Todd
You can't fake them. You can't lie to them. You can't manipulate them, as we, we humans are so easily manipulated. You can't do that with a horse. Good boy. Trinity staff say that's why the program works. Good boy. Licensed counselors and equine specialists use the horse's behavior during a therapy session... Gotta go around this one....to interpret what the veteran is feeling. But it's kinda' cool. It's taught me patience. It's taught me to make sure that he's okay before I move on, too. Yes, I love you too, buddy. And then that horse helps them process their feelings. So, whereas the veteran won't say, "I'm angry." They may say, "Oh, 'my horse' is angry today." or "'My horse' looks like it's angry today." That lets the mental health counselor ask the questions that they need to ask as far as "What's going on? What are we working on? What are you trying to process?" Just like a talk therapy session, only with a thousand-pound security blanket. Something about these horses allows you to bring your guard down and really express yourself. How you truly feel. We see a lot of that with veterans, is that they get behind the horse, and they'll be brushing it. They'll be talking to the horse, and sharing their story and almost forget we're there.
whispering
Nope. - Elizabeth Todd
That's a good boy. It's okay. You can ask them to walk out a little further on that plank. Tell us a little bit more about that history? Tyler's skepticism slowly morphed into something else. Trust. There's that trust there still. He doesn't forget. I love this guy. Yeah. As he formed a bond with Sterling, he was also developing the tools to fight his daily battle with PTSD. I don't know if there was a definitive moment that it was just that "A-ha moment." It was more of a retrospectively looking at it and going, "Holy cow, that actually worked." You know?
Tony Mattson
With Tyler, it's so obvious. It's one of those where it just warms your heart because it's like the before and after picture. It's this transformation that has happened. And we here have been privileged to be even just a small part of that. That's, wow, that's a blessing of a lifetime. It's amazing. Come on. Come on, buddy. Tyler says because of Trinity and Sterling, he's 100% happier than he used to be. I learned how to love again. When I first came home, I was cold and calculated. And he's taught me to believe that love can exist "for me." I can't even put into words how much I appreciate this place, and these people, and this program. It's nothing but love out here. I'm in Douglas County exploring the Brule River State Park and Bois Brule River by canoe. Before we launched earlier today, I spoke with the Brule River Rental guides to get a sense of what to expect on today's journey. The Brule River has a rich history of being one of Wisconsin's most beautiful river destinations and a favorite fishing spot for presidents of the past. Presidents started coming here to trout fish. Ulysses S. Grant, President Calvin Coolidge came here quite often. Hoover and Eisenhower came. There were several presidents that came here back in the early 1900s, mostly. It was pretty famous for its trout fishing. It's still. A lot of people like to come here to trout fish 'cause it's such a beautiful stream with a lot of good forest around it. And it hasn't changed all that much in the last hundred years. But with that beauty comes some pretty wild rapids. It's got a lot of variety of paddling. The upper river's pretty easy. Lower river's got some rapids for people that want a little more excitement. This section's about four hours. It goes down the south end of the river, the Brule River starting at Winneboujou and will end at the DNR campground. On the end of the easy section, it is a little faster. We have a number of small rapids to go through. They're fun. Generally easy in the low water levels that we have. The biggest one, right before the campground, called "Little Joe." That one will be pretty exciting, even in low water. We expect to go through there without any difficulty.
splash
Tony Mattson
Perfect. I understand we're going to have some special guests with us on the tour. - Yes, yeah. My sons, 10 and 12, Avery and Jaden, will accompany us in kayaks. They've been down probably more than a dozen times. I introduced them to kayaking and they love it. They're pros that can help me out is what you're telling me.
laughing
Tony Mattson
Yeah, yup. - Perfect. Anyone can follow the path of presidents if they manage to stay dry.
gentle instrumental
Angela
No, no fish.
rushing rapids
splash, splash
Boy
That's fun!
gurgling water
Boy
Ah, shoot! I can see why so many fishing and nature enthusiasts love this remote location. Now we meet a group that loves being out on Wisconsin waters, as we head to Butternut where a founder works to bring women together as they reel in their next big catch.
ATV chugs "rrr-rrr"
Boy
I remember the first time that I went ice fishing.
high-pitched whirring
Boy
My dad took me to a VFW fishery. We were out there on the ice. I caught a little perch and we brought it in. I ended up winning a prize for the smallest fish. And that just kind of stuck with me. Well, my dad was a police officer actually. And women were not in policing then. Once I saw the first female police officer I ever saw, I just knew. If she could do it, I can do it. I still think so highly of him and realize now that I, you know, it's like, I can be someone like my dad. That was cool. I kind of relate it to police work. Because when you're a police officer, you're just kinda' going along, but something exciting can happen at any moment. And that's the same thing with fishing. You know sometimes-- here we go. Yeah, yeah, it's a nice crappie. I was a cop for about 15, 16 years total before I got out of it. I broke off a piece of the joint surface on the bottom of my knee. And it ended up never really getting back to where I could run up and down the stairs or kneel down. It was, emotionally, one of the hardest things that happened to me was having to retire 'cause I love my job so much. It was tough. In between when I was a child and in my, like say 40, when I was raising my daughter and working three jobs, fishing, kind of, was on the back burner.
auger emits a high-pitched whirr
Boy
I came back to it more in ice fishing. For me, it was the elusive walleye. I could never catch walleye.
frustrated
Boy
Shoot. I remember the first big one I got through the ice. It was 26-inches long and I was by myself. I had it mounted because it was just the first time I was out there doing it myself and I succeeded and I had this huge fish. And when I brought that to the taxidermist, I thought it was, like, 35-inches long. I mean that's how much that fish meant to me. I never saw any other women ice fishing. I'd look around and say, "Where are they? Don't they realize how much fun this is?" And that's really what started me creating opportunities for women to fish. That's a huge walleye. Look at that rod bend. I ended up getting introduced to some other gals who fished. And I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, somebody else ice fishes! Another woman that ice fishes!" It's a nice little walleye. We kind of hated to see this fishing thing end so we said, "Oh, I know. Why don't we get together this spring and go walleye fishing?" From there it was, "I know, let's get together this fall and go camping and fishing!"
splash
Boy
And that was the first ever fish camp. That was 11 years ago now. So now, here we are in year number 11. And from there, it's just grown into this wonderful thing that it is right now. I gotta say, "Hats off to Ricky."
crowd
Amen
cheers and applause
crowd
I used to say, "It's all about the fishing." And as things evolved, it's become less about the fishing and more about the people. Is this what it's like to be in the army? Yep. They have a sorority, so to speak, and very connected to each other.
Fisher
Seventeen. Once they fish with us, they're like-- they walk out of there two feet taller and they can't wait to come back. Another little walleye.
laughing
Fisher
That's the number one thing that women get out of this. They get self-confidence. That's why it's so important for me because I flailed for so many years. There's fish to be caught now. You don't have to struggle for five years paying your dues. We want you to catch 'em right now. That's the thing about fishing. It doesn't matter how much you know, there's so much more to learn. It's probably the only time in my life that I'm just present with what I'm doing. C'mon, how you doing there? Oooh, yes!
fishing line unwinds fast, reel drags and clicks
Fisher
Holy smokes. It's a big fish. This is fun.
chuckles
Fisher
Hey, Sandy! I got a really big fish on! Was it a Muskie? - Yep, it's a big Muskie. Oh, shoot! Oh, damn! Did you lose it? Yeah, it just bit off.
exhales
Fisher
So close. People ask why people fish. You know, right there. "That's" why people fish. I mean, your heart rate gets going. You just have this euphoria. I mean, what else gives you that? Oh, this is why we do this! I just love it.
addressing the fish
Fisher
Well, you bit the shiner.
chuckles
Fisher
For our last story, we travel to Milwaukee to meet a baker who brings the sweets to the streets.
background conversation
Fisher
We got free pie samples, folks. You guys are gonna hurt my feelings if you don't try my pie. C'mon. Pie is very universal. And I think it can be a bridge. Thank you, ma'am. I'm definitely doing my part for diversity at some markets.
chuckling
Fisher
Sometimes it's culture shock for some people, you know. I'm black and Puerto Rican. I'm from the city. I'm from the hood. Thank you so much. Sometimes, just looking at me, people, they don't know how to take me at first. I'd be happy to help. But I'm selling pie. I know that you're going to love me at some point 'cause I-- you're going to love this pie and I make the pie. You're going to love me. I know this.
Woman
Best pie on the entire planet right here. You become kind of safe when you bake pie. Don't miss your chance to get a pie before we sell out yet again. There's a picture of 'em.
click, clack
Woman
I've got two brothers. One is three years older. One's three years younger. And so, I was the middle child. From my grandma, I learned to, how to take care of people with food. She would cook for about 34 people every Thanksgiving. I would hang out with her and just watch. And then after a while, you know, you can only hang out in the kitchen so long before they, you know, "Grab this, do this, put this in there." And then, they put you to work. That's how I learned how to cook. This is another one of my grandma's pots. I got two of them.
tap, tap
Woman
Literally, the business was built with that pot.
click, hum
Woman
You know, that was the pot I used to even cook sweet potatoes and do whatever. She passed and I always felt that she's with us anyway. But, you know, she has to know that I'm selling pie. You know, she has to know that.
click, clack
Woman
This is me back selling investments, my investment days. I sold investments for ten years. The prospect of helping people with their investments was attractive to me. And the funny thing is I used to think that being an investment adviser was really rewarding. And, uh, it is. But it's nothing compared to somebody gets one... one forkful of pie. You're not going to love your mutual fund. You know, you're going to worry about it. To get to that love, you know, where you can get there so quick with a pie or with food. Yes, it's true. Baking and cooking, for me, was definitely a stress reliever. You're getting big, man. Think that's good? - Ah, little more, little more. When Johnathan was born, it's become kind of full circle.
Johnathan Pye
That's kinda' cool.
blender buzzes
small talk, chuckling
Johnathan Pye
I had already had thoughts of starting a pie business down the road. I was in an Asian grocery store, and I discovered these Okinawan purple yams. Then one day, the light bulb went off, like, "Wow, I bet I could make a pretty mean sweet potato pie." Fortunately, I was out of work, and had been out of work for quite some time. I got to the point where I wasn't going to ask anybody else for a job. I just needed to figure out what was next. And we went and got a couple dozen eggs and got started.
whistling melody
Johnathan Pye
I knew what I could do, you know. I knew I could make the pies. I knew I could sell the pies.
Woman
The pecan has something in it. I'm trying to figure out what the taste is.
Man
Well, is it good?
Mr. Dye
We put love in it.
man chuckles
Woman
It's good.
Man
Man,...delicious. - Thank you, sir. It kind of grew organically and slowly in the beginning. Thank you so much. - All right, sir. Thanks a lot. - Nice meeting you. A good day would be, I get up and bake a few pies, and I'd sell them. And, you know, I'd pick Johnathan up from school, and, you know, we would make dinner. And, you know, I make enough money to make dinner. Felt better than most of the days that I had selling investments, you know. Something about working for yourself. If there was criticism... what would it be? It's too tasty. "It's too tasty"? That's not criticism. Yes, it is. We got free pie samples, guys, c'mon. Then, the farmers markets came along. Best pies anywhere. The first time somebody called me the "pie guy," I wasn't ready for it. And they yelled across the street, "Hey, Pie Guy!" I'm like, "What? Who?" I'm thinking, "Nooooooo..." And then, pretty early, pretty quickly, I got-- I love it now. It's awesome, you know, to be recognized for something that you do. When someone genuinely takes a bite and they're like shocked that it's that good, that's, you know, that's the best praise you can get. You know, a pie can remind you of your grandma. It can bring you a warm feeling back, and that is very necessary. It's not a necessity, but it's close.
background conversation
Man
I may have gotten splashed a bit on my journey today but it was well worth it. If you want to learn more about the Brule River State Forest or any of the stories you've seen here, visit WisconsinLife.org. We'd love to hear about your "Wisconsin Life," so send us your ideas at [email protected]. Until our next adventure, I'm Angela Fitzgerald and this is our "Wisconsin Life." Bye.
water lapping on canoe hull
Man
Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
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