"Swede" Troedsson was born and raised in the East. His early years in the Boy Scouts developed his love of the outdoors. Following high school, his first job with the U.S. Forest Service began his love affair with Montana and the west.

Summer seasonal work with the Forest Service was interrupted by two years service in the U.S. Marine Corps. This service included deployment to Korea after the truce was signed.

Smokejumping while attending Montana State University introduced him to the diversity of the west, and the excitement that comes with challenges presented in the outdoors. After graduating from college with a degree in Forestry, his employment as a Forester eventually led him to Southwest Montana. His main duties were preparing and administering timber sales.

His volunteer work on the National Ski Patrol would lead him into volunteer emergency medical services (EMS), teaching Emergency Medical Technicians, participating in volunteer ambulance work, and back country rescue. His certification as a private pilot, and managing aviation resources in the Forest Service, enhanced his skills in EMS and back country rescue.

His love of hunting, fishing, canoeing, camping, and volunteer work with Montana Game Wardens led him into other adventures. Besides his volunteer work, he found time to help his wife raise three children, introduce them to the outdoor recreational opportunities, and send them off to college. Following his retirement from the Forest Service, he was recruited by Montana Western to teach a course in Map, Compass, and GPS. It would be a satisfying seventeen-year experience.