Ruth Oltmann came to Alberta thirty-five years ago from eastern Canada and has been hiking and climbing in the Rocky Mountains every since. She moved to the mountains ìfor six monthsî in 1970, and since then has run youth hostels at Spray River, Castle Mountain, and Ribbon Creek and worked as a cook at Skoki Lodge, Bugaboo Lodge, and the Kananaskis Centre for Environmental Research. She is the author of a history of the region, The Kananaskis Story. Known as ìRuthieî to her many friends, she says ìmy life took a turn for the better when I moved to the mountains six months ago!.î