Profile information
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Host rating
100 %
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Last replied
26 Jun 2026
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Reply rate
90.9 %
Usually responds within 7 days
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Feedback
34
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Email verified
Badges (3)
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Details
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Description
Join us as early as this May
🌞 A Summer Opportunity from My Heart — Welcome to the Mountain 🌞
🌴As well as One More Little Dream to Share....🌴
Greetings from Canada, British Columbia, in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. From the lake town of Osoyoos, our mountain estate sits about 28 km up at the summit, surrounded by 500 acres of untouched land and breathtaking, uninterrupted views that seem to last forever. Up here, the days are warm, the nights are cool, and the sky is filled with stars. It is truly a little paradise — a place where luxury and simplicity live side by side.
This is our private family home and not a business, and for the past 18 years, we have had the joy of welcoming volunteers from all over the world. Even though I now live here without my beloved husband, Ulric — the “Mountain Man”, I continue to open my doors and my heart, because hosting has always been about sharing, caring, and growing together.
Come experience off-grid living while helping us care for our mountain property.
Typical tasks include light maintenance, painting, gardening, yard tasks, cleaning, and helping keep the property welcoming and well cared for.
It's a great opportunity to learn about the realities of owning and operating an off-grid homestead, from property upkeep to sustainable living practices. We enjoy sharing our lifestyle with volunteers and creating a fun, positive exchange where everyone learns something new while enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.
🌿 What I Offer and What We Expect:)
Minimum stay: two weeks
The mountain is open from May 15 to September 15
**** Please be reliable with your arrival dates, as space is lovingly held just for you
I can pick you up from the bus station in Osoyoos or Rock Creek
We eat lunch and dinner together Monday–Friday, like family
Breakfasts and weekend meals are self-catered
Each volunteer has a private room
Weekends are free for you to enjoy as you wish
We usually work about five hours a day Monday-Friday, either in the morning or afternoon, leaving plenty of time to hike, relax, explore, or simply sit and enjoy the peace of the mountain.
My daughter Tessina helps manage messages, as she is much better with computers, but if you have questions, you are always welcome to reach out.
🏔 A Little About Me and This Place:
I am a 80-year-old widow, still young at heart and deeply grateful for life. I love fashion, nature, writing, cooking, and most of all, caring for people. I truly enjoy spoiling my guests with good food and kindness.
My late husband Ulric and I were entrepreneurs in the hospitality world and foster parents to high-risk teens for over 38 years. We loved traveling the world, something I still do each winter. When we retired 20 years ago, we began this greenhorn pioneer project — building this off-grid mountain estate from scratch. It has been a labor of love, filled with learning, hard work, and many beautiful moments.
Ulric believed strongly in stepping out of comfort zones, gaining new skills, and building confidence through meaningful work. Those values still live on here.
🔨 Tasks on the Mountain:
Russel, is a wonderful person — kind, patient, and happy to teach new skills when needed. Help is always appreciated with:
Gardening, mowing, weeding, and planting
General tasks and property clean up inside and outside the buildings, painting, and cooking.
🌼 Life and Values Here:
This is a peaceful sanctuary, and I ask everyone to help keep it that way. A few simple rules guide us:
No fighting or swearing
No drunkenness or stealing
No drugs of any kind — not even legalized marijuana
There are trails to wander, quiet places to reflect, and many opportunities to think about life, the future, and what truly matters.
🌴 One More Little Dream to Share:
In addition to our mountain home in Canada, we also have a 20-acre property in Granada, Nicaragua, very close to my heart. From October through May, I am looking for Spanish-speaking volunteers with carpentry experience who would enjoy visiting and helping me there during those months.
Like everything we do, this too is about sharing, learning, and building something meaningful together — simply in another beautiful corner of the world.
With your help, your hands, and your love for these places, we continue the legacy my husband Ulric — the Mountain Man — dreamed of and created.
I look forward to meeting the right people, perhaps you.
With warmth and gratitude 🌿
Ghitta aand Tessina -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
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Interests
Fashion or beauty
Movies & TV
Animals
Writing
Languages
Nature
Dancing
Beach
Cooking & food
Books -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Over the years, I have traveled extensively, visiting much of Central and South America, Asia, and, of course, Europe before immigrating to Canada in 1979. Being self-employed, I’ve gained a wealth of personal life experiences—both successes and mistakes—which I enjoy sharing to inspire and benefit others.
During our retirement, my late husband and I created something truly unique, which you’ll see here firsthand. It’s an “outside-the-box” concept and vision—a project that continues to evolve through never-ending work and an exciting learning curve for everyone involved. It stands as a testament to determination and creativity, a true beauty of effort and reality. -
Help
Volunteers should expect to assist with a variety of projects and property tasks. Help may include grounds tasks such as mowing, trimming, weeding, and light landscaping, as well as house cleaning, painting and organisation. The tasks are varied and hands-on, offering a great opportunity to contribute while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.
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Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent -
Accommodation
We have a large, fully equipped volunteer house that can accommodate multiple people, or private rooms in the main house with breathtaking views of the Cascade Mountain Range and the most stunning sunsets you’ll ever see.
On weekends, you are free to explore the Okanagan Valley. We’re happy to offer volunteers a ride into town whenever we go. -
What else ...
"Felicitations and compliments for you, to finding our most unique mountaintop private lifestyle.
The journey of life is a daily challenge, one day at the time we 100 % dream the dream, dare the dare and do the do". In memory of Ulric, The Mountain Man
You are invited to live your dreams, ambitions and exploring new ideas, here in BC Canada with us, you will find answers.
You can hike through quaint alpine meadows with forever mountain and valley views, away from it all, you have arrived
You will be very surprised by the eclectic flair, cozy ambiance and decor of all we have created here, you will become part
We are halfway between Osoyoos and Rock Creek, at an elevation of 1365 meters our 480 acre mountaintop nature reserve and beautiful family paradise
Our alternate ECO straw bale design and construction concept and methods is a creative work in progress. To date many international working travelers, became part of our great vision. Off grid, with solar power only, recycled building components, every guest was fascinated about the cozy feel in our different buildings. The shared meals have allowed great conversations and friendships to develop. Do come and stay with us, as long you'd like, as well bring your friends.
We will need many creative and willing hands to become part of our unusual project. As it stands, every day we all have learned something new, a never ending "Learning Curve" and have fun with "Murphy's Law" daily rules, challenges..
Stunning photo documentations and memories are shared, you will love and appreciate the international flair and mix
of our globe trotting traveling "addicts". 1 cute cat, 2 dogs will greet you.
We love to hear and welcome you,
Tessina (Ulric's Daughter) Ghitta (my mom and Ulric's beautiful wife) and In memory of Ulric, our Maintain Man -
A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
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Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (30)
We would be happy to host them again:)
Ghitta is an incredibly inspiring and wonderful person – full of warmth and kindness. We both immediately fell in love with her generous heart and her deep love for cooking. Her stories could be listened to from morning till night. She was always there for us when we needed her, ready to listen … read more
Ghitta is warm, caring, and full of life; her adventurous stories inspire you to explore the world! It was such a privilege to share time with her, her wonderful dogs, and the sweetest cat. Russell, the property manager, is a skilled craftsman, and working with him … read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.9)
We would be happy to host them again:)
Ghitta is an incredibly inspiring and wonderful person – full of warmth and kindness. We both immediately fell in love with her generous heart and her deep love for cooking. Her stories could be listened to from morning till night. She was always there for us when we needed her, ready to listen … read more
Ghitta is warm, caring, and full of life; her adventurous stories inspire you to explore the world! It was such a privilege to share time with her, her wonderful dogs, and the sweetest cat. Russell, the property manager, is a skilled craftsman, and working with him … read more
During our stay we learned a lot about building and other stuff from Russel, who was a great teacher. We mostly worked on the Lodge and it was cool to see the progress every day.
Ghitta always cooked delicious … read more
This experience has been totally immersive, Ghitta will help you get to know yourself better and find your … read more
Urlic is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I have stayed at Ulric and Ghittas place over 6 months ago, so my review is a little late, but I owe it to them big time.
I came to their place with curiosity and an interest to learn about woodworking and carpentry. Ulric did not only teach and inspire me, he … read more
Ulric has done lots of crazy things.So you should visit and see what he has been actually doing 😁
There are lots of things to do.You are never going to get bored!
Even though I didn’t stay with Gitta,we sometimes visit her house and her meals are really good.
I definitely want to come back … read more
Ulric and Ghitta are two very exceptional persons with an open heart - they share their home and their stories with everybody. Working with Ulric for over three months has given me a lot of new experiences and a diffrent mindset on certain things. "Think outside the box" perfectly describes their place, because what Ulric … read more
what and how life experience abroad will help him to tom widen and broaden his young and curious life, he came up here for … read more
The views up there are just stunning! It was a … read more
Very nice and funy people also! And the views on that hill... will stay forever with me.. also the friends
I meet there!
I wish I remember Ulrics do de d... frase! jaja
He also has a lot of stories to tell so its always a nice time in the evening with Ulric and us "slaves".
His two dogs Kondor and Schnuffel are lovely and you can find a lot of interesting stuff around and on his … read more
It was our first workaway stay and we loved it.
We have to thank Ulric very much for this special experience!:)
I spent 3 weeks in their place : a wonderful and peaceful place! My work was mainly in construction/basic plumbery/electricity, etc. You are free to express and develop your creativity there! Ulric and others volunteers taught me lots of things. We work fairly in a good "ambiante"!
Gitta is … read more
As hosts, they have a lot to offer: smiles and stories; plenty of good food for lunch and dinner meals, which are shared with the family; wwoofer's house with … read more
incident, Quinn is doing ok..do plan to come back, … read more
The tasks were really varied from helping in construction, helping in the kitchen, watching the dogs and cats, gardening, etc. ... so it never got boring and I earned a lot of new experiences.
Thank you Ulric for teaching me so much about alternative construction and... pretty much everything else in life, too. It is so … read more
He also is a really great teacher. He taught me all the basics … read more
The work was interesting and fun and more than fair.
Ghitta is an amazing host and delicious cook!
The laughs, conversation, stories and inspiration never stopped :)
It was only a week but it was a week with great people who made me feel right at home.
The accommodation is very … read more
