Backpack, rifle of missing Norwegian trekker found: Manitoba RCMP

A backpack and rifle belonging to a missing Norwegian hiker have been found in northern Manitoba.

The backpack and rifle belonging to a Norwegian adventurer who went missing in northern Manitoba have been found, police say.

An RCMP spokesperson told CTV News they are continuing to search the area for any trace of Steffen Skjottelvik, 23.

A spokesperson for his family said they got word of the discovery from police Thursday.

“It is in the area of the GPS coordinates that they were searching based on,” Christian Dyresen said in an interview from Norway.

Mounties said Thursday morning they received the last coordinates of Skjottelvik’s GPS device. They were recorded on the east shore of the Hayes River on Aug. 14—a day before he was expected to arrive in York Factory, Man.

“Search efforts are continuing today with a focus on the water to the north and northwest of these coordinates,” Sgt. Paul Manaigre said in an email.

“The dive team has been made aware but until such time as we can narrow down the search area, it would not be practicable to conduct an underwater search due to the current size of the search area.”

Meanwhile, a large community and First Nation-led search is also underway for Skjottelvik. Organizers told CTV News earlier this week thousands of dollars had been raised through community donations to fuel more helicopter trips to the rugged terrain where Skjottelvik went missing.

“The family wants to reach out and thank everybody that is volunteering and doing what they can to finance, to have new boats and new helicopters out there looking for Steffen,” Dyresen said.

‘This is his big dream’

According to a Facebook group created to track Skjottelvik’s travels, he planned on trekking from James Bay, Ont., all the way to Alaska.

Skjottelvik has long dreamed of embarking on such a trip, Dyresen said.

“He’s been preparing for more than a year. He’s been spending a lot of time in Canada, building a network, gaining knowledge.”

RCMP say Skjottelvik left Fort Severn, Ont. on July 25 on foot with two dogs.

He last spoke with his family on Aug.13, Dyresen said, when he left a camp about 40 kilometres northeast of York Factory.

“He was satisfied. He had a lot of supplies with him for the last part of the journey. His goal was about to be reached.”

He next made contact with York Factory on Aug. 14, saying he expected to arrive there the next day.

He was reported missing Aug. 15 when he didn’t show up as planned, police say.

A dog believed to be his eventually arrived in the community. A second dog he was travelling with was also lost along the way, police said, though it is not clear how.

Mounties have used drones, boats and helicopters to search possible areas of interest in hopes of finding signs of where Skjottelvik may have gone. Manitoba conservation officers and a guide from Gillam, Man. also joined search efforts earlier this week.

- With files from The Canadian Press