Steven Sukkau
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Sun
Norwegian adventurer Steffen Skjøttelvik’s final journey ended along the unforgiving shores of Hudson Bay, where local searchers spotted his body after days of scouring bogs, creeks, and tidal flats. The 29-year-old, who vanished August 14 on the last stretch of a 20-kilometer trek to York Factory, is believed to have been swept away while attempting to cross the powerful Hayes River, a two-kilometer-wide channel long feared for its deadly currents.
Skjøttelvik disappeared on August 14 after setting out on what was supposed to be the final 20-kilometer leg of his trek from Nanuk Camp to York Factory, a historic Hudson Bay trading post. Along the way, searchers later found his parka and backpack, while his sled dogs, Bay and Togo, wandered into communities hundreds of kilometers apart. Authorities believe he may have been swept away attempting to cross the Hayes River, a two-kilometer-wide channel notorious for its currents.
Fort Severn guide Angus Miles, who coordinated much of the volunteer effort, said in a video update that it was their pilot who spotted Skjøttelvik.
According to Miles, he and two other local searchers, along with a small Parks Canada crew, had been scouring bogs, creeks, and shorelines when their pilot, George, finally spotted the body from the air late Sunday morning.
“We had been searching that same area over and over. We think the night tide washed him ashore,” Miles explained. “When we got there, he was only about 10 feet up on shore, but by the time we landed, he was back in the water again. Everything happened fast.”
The recovery was carried out using the group’s hired helicopter, though another aircraft from York Landing later transported the body and an RCMP officer to Gillam.
Miles described the emotional toll of speaking with Skjøttelvik’s family throughout the search. “His father told me they couldn’t sleep until they knew we had stopped searching for the day. After so many days, I had to be honest with them about what I thought had happened. I just wanted closure for the family,” he said.
He added that misleading media reports and dismissive online comments suggesting Skjøttelvik should have “known better” than to challenge the Canadian wilderness have been painful.
“That’s ignorant,” Miles said. “It’s no different than someone going mountain climbing or hiking and not coming back. He was doing what he loved. There was no stopping him when he came through, and we just supported him however we could.”
Skjøttelvik had spent the past two years in Canada pursuing his dream of crossing the country on foot, accompanied by his dogs. His trek from Peawanuck, Ontario, through ancestral Cree trails toward Hudson Bay captured international attention and deepened bonds with Indigenous families along the way.
“This tragedy unfolded in our ancestral homeland,” Sinclair Kandiurin said. “We are coastal people living along the Hudson Bay. This involves many of my Severn and Peawanuk relations.”
As vigils lit up the shoreline from Churchill to Cree communities, Skjøttelvik’s story became part of a broader legacy, of resilience and kinship, as well as reverence for the unforgiving wilderness he sought to embrace.
“He did make it,” Miles said quietly. “He got here, well over 300 kilometers. It’s impressive. I’m just glad we found him. That’s what we set out to do.”
