I was thinking about an acquaintance I used to have - his name was Johnny France - and we lived in the same town. Johnny was a really great person, and he lived an interesting life - but he is noted for capturing two men who lived as mountain men and had abducted a young woman.
I don’t think too many people know about the abduction of Kari Swenson and the manhunt that followed, but the popularity of the creepy experiences thread on here, make me think this story might be of interest.
**The following is copied from: https://www.propensitypod.com/episodes/kari-swenson
In July 1984, a 22-year-old athlete was abducted from a Montana mountain trail during a training run. Her abductors, father and son survivalists living off-grid in the wilderness had decided to steal a bride to establish and grow their very own mountain colony. When the woman didn’t return, her friends alerted authorities and inadvertently set off a tragic chain of events that not everyone would walk away from. This episode covers the abduction of Kari Swenson.
She weighed up her options. Her abductors were armed and had assured her that they would shoot and kill anyone who tried to take her away from them. Her rescuers came in the form of her friends, Alan Goldstein, a 36-year-old horse wrangler, and Jim Schwalb, two colleagues from the ranch. She called out to warn them against coming any closer and that the men were armed. In the process, she inadvertently alerted her captors.
The older man trained his gun on one of her rescuers. It all happened in an instance, she was pleading with Alan and Jim to stay back. The older man told the younger one to ‘shut her up’. With that, Kari Swenson was met with the barrel of a shotgun aimed directly at her torso. She saw a flash and heard the deafening blast of a shotgun.
After the move, Kari took up cross-country skiing, after a family friend introduced her. This accelerated her interest in the sport. She also began to learn how to shoot, preferring to use a .22 calibre rifle. In 1980, while studying pre-veterinary medicine at Montana State University, she joined the Nordic ski team and was recommended for the U.S. Biathlon Association’s first women’s team.
By the early 1980s, Kari was actively training for biathlons. Biathletes train in two separate yet related winter sports, cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. In late February and early March 1984, Kari travelled to France to participate in the Biathlon World Championships, as part of the U.S. relay team. Here, along with her team, Kari won the bronze medal. She also stood out among her peers, as her performance in the 10-km final, where she achieved fifth place, was, at the time, the best-recorded performance of an American athlete of any gender in the history of the event.
The 15th of July 1984 was a Sunday. Kari left the ranch that afternoon and drove partway up the trail near the Ulerys Lakes area, approximately 13 kilometres or 8 miles northwest of Big Sky. She parked her car and set off for a long training run to condition her body for her chosen sport.
As she ran deeper into the trail, she found herself in a clearing surrounded by trees. Out of nowhere, she saw a young man approach her and try to make awkward conversation. She indulged him momentarily, before being approached from behind by another man. This one was much older. Kari immediately felt uneasy and attempted to turn back and get away from the strange men.
The two men who had accosted her in the clearing began to interrogate her as to whether she was married, or if she had children. She lied to them, and said that she was married, but they claimed to not believe her, stating that ‘all women lie’. The older man asked the younger one, if they ‘should keep her’. To which the younger man nodded. This is when the older man punched her in the face and grappled her to the ground. The younger man tied her hands with rope and began to march her through the wilderness.
A friend retraced her steps and found her car, still parked where she had left it at the mouth of the trail. There was no sign of Kari. When he returned to the ranch, the workers came together and organised their own search party, comprising of more than 20 volunteers. The ranch manager notified Kari’s parents of her disappearance. When they contacted local police to inform them that one of their employees was missing, they were met with indifference. Authorities informed them that it was policy not to conduct searches at night. Her parents, Bob and Janet had both travelled to Big Sky to help with the search.
The decision of the local sheriff’s office not to search for Kari once night had fallen was a controversial one. Bob and Janet Swenson would later slam authorities for several lapses and errors in the investigation. By Monday morning, local police, along with a large group of volunteers initiated a grid search. Volunteers divided into pairs, including colleagues of Kari’s from the ranch. Two such colleagues, Alan Goldstein, and Jim Schwalb, teamed up to help find their missing co-worker. Each pair were given a walkie-talkie radio to keep in touch with the rescue base. Alan held onto the walkie-talkie for his team.
The initial working theory was that she had become lost or injured on the trail. The search party fully expected to find an injured Kari near one of the running trails and transport her to get the medical attention she likely needed. The isolated nature of the mountains where Kari disappeared, and the inaccessibility to vehicles meant that most of those involved in the ground search could not imagine that something more nefarious may be at play. They couldn’t possibly have known that two dangerous men had been surviving off-grid for years and were just waiting for unsuspecting prey to cross their path.
The father and son duo had been eking out a living as survivalists for several years, taking breaks of several months to stay in isolated mountain towns during harsh winters and taking up temporary work. In 1983, the two turned their back on American society, and transitioned to living in the mountains full-time. They had several camps in different locations across the mountain range, including caves, dug-outs and other makeshift structures where they took shelter from the elements.
They were self-proclaimed ‘mountain men’, who shunned modern society, and instead lived off squirrel meat, stolen livestock, and red beans. Since they didn’t live within the confines of modern society, they decided that the established laws and customs did not apply to them. Abducting a wife for Dan was not only acceptable, in their mind, but necessary for the men to begin their own ‘mountain tribe’. They had spotted Kari running along the waterline of one of the lakes and tracked her until they were able to corner her in the forest clearing and subdue her.
I don’t think too many people know about the abduction of Kari Swenson and the manhunt that followed, but the popularity of the creepy experiences thread on here, make me think this story might be of interest.
**The following is copied from: https://www.propensitypod.com/episodes/kari-swenson
In July 1984, a 22-year-old athlete was abducted from a Montana mountain trail during a training run. Her abductors, father and son survivalists living off-grid in the wilderness had decided to steal a bride to establish and grow their very own mountain colony. When the woman didn’t return, her friends alerted authorities and inadvertently set off a tragic chain of events that not everyone would walk away from. This episode covers the abduction of Kari Swenson.
On the Mountain
Kari Swenson sat up a little straighter. She could feel her muscles tense, and her heart begin to beat faster. She looked to her abductors, a dishevelled older man, and a younger man, and then to the horizon. She was chained and immobilised and had no immediate way to free herself. Her abductors did not see what she saw. Not straight away, at least. She had been found, but rescue would not be possible.She weighed up her options. Her abductors were armed and had assured her that they would shoot and kill anyone who tried to take her away from them. Her rescuers came in the form of her friends, Alan Goldstein, a 36-year-old horse wrangler, and Jim Schwalb, two colleagues from the ranch. She called out to warn them against coming any closer and that the men were armed. In the process, she inadvertently alerted her captors.
The older man trained his gun on one of her rescuers. It all happened in an instance, she was pleading with Alan and Jim to stay back. The older man told the younger one to ‘shut her up’. With that, Kari Swenson was met with the barrel of a shotgun aimed directly at her torso. She saw a flash and heard the deafening blast of a shotgun.
Kari Swenson’s Background
Kari Swenson was born in in 1961 in Philadelphia to parents, Bob, and Janet Swenson. One of three children, Kari was the middle child, with a younger brother, Paul and an older sister, Johanna. Janet was a nurse and later ski patrol volunteer, and Bob, the head of the Physics Department at Philadelphia’s Temple University. In 1970, when Kari was nine, the family moved west across the country for Bob’s career. He took up a new position as head of Montana State University’s Physics Department. The family permanently relocated to the small city of Bozeman, Montana.After the move, Kari took up cross-country skiing, after a family friend introduced her. This accelerated her interest in the sport. She also began to learn how to shoot, preferring to use a .22 calibre rifle. In 1980, while studying pre-veterinary medicine at Montana State University, she joined the Nordic ski team and was recommended for the U.S. Biathlon Association’s first women’s team.
By the early 1980s, Kari was actively training for biathlons. Biathletes train in two separate yet related winter sports, cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. In late February and early March 1984, Kari travelled to France to participate in the Biathlon World Championships, as part of the U.S. relay team. Here, along with her team, Kari won the bronze medal. She also stood out among her peers, as her performance in the 10-km final, where she achieved fifth place, was, at the time, the best-recorded performance of an American athlete of any gender in the history of the event.
The Day of the Abduction
By July 1984, 22-year-old Kari had moved to Big Sky in the Rocky Mountains, Montana, to take up a summer job at a tourist ranch. The location, nestled in the majestic Spanish Peaks, has snow from November to April. While she couldn’t ski, Kari took this opportunity to train daily at altitude to maintain her fitness levels. This also involved running for cardiovascular fitness and endurance. She trained seven-days-per-week, including running, hiking, weightlifting, and roller-skiing.The 15th of July 1984 was a Sunday. Kari left the ranch that afternoon and drove partway up the trail near the Ulerys Lakes area, approximately 13 kilometres or 8 miles northwest of Big Sky. She parked her car and set off for a long training run to condition her body for her chosen sport.
As she ran deeper into the trail, she found herself in a clearing surrounded by trees. Out of nowhere, she saw a young man approach her and try to make awkward conversation. She indulged him momentarily, before being approached from behind by another man. This one was much older. Kari immediately felt uneasy and attempted to turn back and get away from the strange men.
The two men who had accosted her in the clearing began to interrogate her as to whether she was married, or if she had children. She lied to them, and said that she was married, but they claimed to not believe her, stating that ‘all women lie’. The older man asked the younger one, if they ‘should keep her’. To which the younger man nodded. This is when the older man punched her in the face and grappled her to the ground. The younger man tied her hands with rope and began to march her through the wilderness.
The Investigation
By Sunday evening, Kari’s absence was noticed at work. Her friends and colleagues were aware of her gruelling training regime, and knew that she was responsible and conscientious, and wouldn’t simply skip work without letting anyone know. When she failed to return to the ranch, they began to worry.A friend retraced her steps and found her car, still parked where she had left it at the mouth of the trail. There was no sign of Kari. When he returned to the ranch, the workers came together and organised their own search party, comprising of more than 20 volunteers. The ranch manager notified Kari’s parents of her disappearance. When they contacted local police to inform them that one of their employees was missing, they were met with indifference. Authorities informed them that it was policy not to conduct searches at night. Her parents, Bob and Janet had both travelled to Big Sky to help with the search.
The decision of the local sheriff’s office not to search for Kari once night had fallen was a controversial one. Bob and Janet Swenson would later slam authorities for several lapses and errors in the investigation. By Monday morning, local police, along with a large group of volunteers initiated a grid search. Volunteers divided into pairs, including colleagues of Kari’s from the ranch. Two such colleagues, Alan Goldstein, and Jim Schwalb, teamed up to help find their missing co-worker. Each pair were given a walkie-talkie radio to keep in touch with the rescue base. Alan held onto the walkie-talkie for his team.
The initial working theory was that she had become lost or injured on the trail. The search party fully expected to find an injured Kari near one of the running trails and transport her to get the medical attention she likely needed. The isolated nature of the mountains where Kari disappeared, and the inaccessibility to vehicles meant that most of those involved in the ground search could not imagine that something more nefarious may be at play. They couldn’t possibly have known that two dangerous men had been surviving off-grid for years and were just waiting for unsuspecting prey to cross their path.
Don & Dan Nichols’ Background
Don Nichols was born in 1931 and was 53-years old in 1984. His son, Dan Nichols was born in 1964 and was 19 years old at the time of Kari’s abduction. Dan was estranged from his mother, and along with Don, his survivalist father, had been living on-off in the mountains for twelve years. Don had exerted his influence over Dan like a tyrant, and by the time he was a teenager, he fully believed in his father’s flawed doctrine.The father and son duo had been eking out a living as survivalists for several years, taking breaks of several months to stay in isolated mountain towns during harsh winters and taking up temporary work. In 1983, the two turned their back on American society, and transitioned to living in the mountains full-time. They had several camps in different locations across the mountain range, including caves, dug-outs and other makeshift structures where they took shelter from the elements.
They were self-proclaimed ‘mountain men’, who shunned modern society, and instead lived off squirrel meat, stolen livestock, and red beans. Since they didn’t live within the confines of modern society, they decided that the established laws and customs did not apply to them. Abducting a wife for Dan was not only acceptable, in their mind, but necessary for the men to begin their own ‘mountain tribe’. They had spotted Kari running along the waterline of one of the lakes and tracked her until they were able to corner her in the forest clearing and subdue her.
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