Well, folks, you might’ve heard about this Don Nichols, the so-called “mountain man,” who got in a heap of trouble back in the 80s. Now, I ain’t one for fancy talk or knowin’ much about the law, but I reckon his story’s a real piece of work. So let me tell ya a bit about it. Don Nichols, now 86 years old, is a feller who got tangled up in a big mess. Back in 1984, he was involved in the kidnapping of a world-class athlete, Kari Swenson. This happened right up in the mountains near Big Sky, Montana. Sounds like somethin’ out of a movie, don’t it?
From what I’ve gathered, Don Nichols wasn’t alone in this trouble. He had help from his father, who was right there with him, doin’ all sorts of bad things. They grabbed Kari while she was out on a run, just doin’ her own business, tryin’ to stay in shape. Ain’t that somethin’? Here she is, out in the wild, and next thing you know, she’s in the hands of these men who, by all accounts, were livin’ off the land. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of these so-called “mountain men.” They say they live off the land, huntin’ animals and wearin’ clothes made from animal skins. But there ain’t nothin’ “mountain man” about kidnappin’ a woman, I tell ya that much.
Now, this kidnapping didn’t go as planned for ol’ Don Nichols. There was another feller, a man named Alan Goldstein, who tried to help Kari. But things took a turn for the worse, and poor Alan ended up gettin’ killed in the whole mess. That just makes it worse, don’t it? A man tries to do the right thing, and he ends up dead. Well, I guess it’s clear that this whole situation wasn’t just some simple case of gettin’ lost in the mountains.
Don Nichols didn’t get away with it for long, though. He was caught and sentenced to 85 years in prison for his part in this crime. And let me tell ya, 85 years is a long time. But here’s the kicker: after nearly 32 years in prison, ol’ Don finally got out on parole. Yep, just a little while ago, he was granted parole and set free. Now, he’s back out in the world, tryin’ to live what’s left of his life. Ain’t that somethin’? I don’t know how I feel about that—someone who did such a bad thing, walkin’ free after so many years.
Some folks still call him a “mountain man,” even after all the bad things he’s done. But I don’t know how that fits. Sure, he might’ve lived in the mountains, huntin’ and trappin’ animals, but a real mountain man wouldn’t go around hurtin’ people. They say these fellers live close to nature, but I reckon Don Nichols was closer to trouble than anything natural. Maybe that’s what the mountain does to some people, though—gets ’em lost in their own heads, makes ’em do things they’d never do otherwise.
Now, with Don Nichols out on parole, folks in Montana are wonderin’ what’s next. Some folks are worried he might be up to no good again, and who could blame ’em? After all, he didn’t exactly have the best record the first time around. But who knows? Maybe he’s changed, maybe he’s done with all that mess. Ain’t no way to tell for sure.
But I’ll tell ya one thing, whether Don Nichols ever truly changes or not, the story of this so-called “mountain man” is a warnin’ to us all. Sometimes, folks get caught up in their own heads, and they do things that can ruin their lives, and the lives of others, too. It’s a real shame. And it goes to show that even if someone’s out there in the mountains, callin’ themselves a “mountain man,” they might not be the kind of person we think they are. The mountains don’t make a man; it’s the choices he makes that do.
So, what’ll happen to Don Nichols now that he’s free again? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: folks won’t forget the trouble he caused, and the harm he did to others. I reckon the mountains might’ve shaped him, but it was his own actions that made him infamous.
Tags：[Don Nichols, Mountain Man, Kidnapping, Kari Swenson, Montana, Prison, Alan Goldstein, 1984, Parole]
