WINNIPEG — Searchers canvassing treacherous muskeg and swift-moving rivers have recovered a backpack and rifle belonging to a missing Norwegian trekker who was on a cross-continental journey of the Canadian wilderness.
Manitoba RCMP say a search continued Thursday for Steffen Skjottelvik when those involved found the items.
Police previously obtained what are believed to be the last coordinates where Skjottelvik's GPS device was connected to satellites. They could not say whether the backpack and rifle were found in the same area.
Skjottelvik was travelling on foot with his two dogs from Fort Severn, Ont., to York Factory in northern Manitoba when he went missing last week.
Officers and locals have searched the area with drones, boats and helicopters due to the hazardous conditions and potential encounters with wildlife.
Police believe the 29-year-old tried to cross the Hayes River, near York Factory, and got swept up by the fast current.
A Facebook group created to track Skjottelvik's travels says he planned on trekking from James Bay all the way to Alaska.
Christian Dyresen, a spokesman for Skjottelvik's family, said he was inspired to do the trip after a well-known television personality in Norway completed a similar expedition.
Dyresen said Skjottelvik came to Canada after watching Norwegian adventurer Lars Monsen complete a multi-year hike through northern Canada.
"(Skjottelvik's) been preparing based on conversations that he has had with (Monsen)," he told The Canadian Press from his home in Norway.
"He's been doing the same trip many time and he's been of the biggest inspirations for (Skjottelvik)."
Dyresen said Monsen has been supportive of the family while search efforts are underway, adding that Monsen indicated Skjottelvik was a skilled and prepared adventurer.
The family is staying in Norway and analyzing the situation hour by hour, said Dyresen. They are open to travelling to Canada if the time comes.
Dyresen said it's been a rollercoaster of emotions for Skjottelvik's family, and that the discovery of the man's backpack and rifle is encouraging.
"This is an enormously big area, with a lot of risks going into the area," he said. "The more info (searchers) have that can make them focus ... the better.
"So, in that way, the family still has hope."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
