Ernie Lakusta was born in Hardisty, Alberta, in 1944, but was raised in Calgary. He attended the University of Calgary, where he received both B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees before becoming a high-school biology teacher and science department head in Calgary. An avid hiker and scrambler, Ernie's passion for the outdoors has led him to explore, photograph, and write about many of the areas James Hector mapped for the Palliser Expedition. Ernie lives in Calgary with his wife of thirty-eight years, Jean.