A longing to find a deeper meaning to life brought Norwegian hiker Steffen Skjottelvik to explore Canada’s wilderness. His family says while his life was cut short, it was filled with love and meaning.
On Monday, the Chapel Lawn Funeral Home in Winnipeg was filled with members of Skjottelvik’s family who travelled to Canada from Norway for the service. Along with them, Manitoba and Ontario First Nations’ leadership and community members who knew the hiker and helped search for him gathered to honour his life.
“My family and I are also touched by the effort made by the search teams on First Nations,” Skjottelvik’s younger sister Henriette said at the memorial service, speaking on behalf of the family. “Words cannot describe how grateful we are for all you have done.”
The 29-year-old hiker had disappeared after setting out from Fort Severn, Ont., last month. He was set to arrive in York Factory, Man., on Aug. 15, but never arrived.
A huge search effort was made—initially organized by the First Nation community members whom Skjottelvik had come to know. Manitoba RCMP confirmed the hiker’s body was recovered Aug. 24 on the shores of the Hayes River in northern Manitoba. The family has said an autopsy shows the man drowned.
“There are no words that can fully describe our grief and loss. To lose a son, a brother, and a dear family member is not something a human being should experience,” Henriette said.
“But in our sorrow, we lean on the fact of how happy Steffen was, fulfilling his goal here in Canada—to cross both Canada and Alaska and to pursue his goal of living close to Mother Earth.”
Henriette said since he was 16 years old, Skjottelvik had been inspired to explore and adventure, seeking an alternative to the digital and consumer-driven world.
“He searched, like the rest of us, for a deeper meaning of life,” she said.
Along the way, she said Skjottelvik came to love the ways of life in northern Canada, discovered a deeper respect for nature, and met the love of his life.
“Let us remember Steffen together,” Henriette said. “Let us comfort each other, and let us rest in the fact that Steffen brought people together; he touched us all.”
His family arrived in Canada on Friday and spent the weekend retracing Skjottelvik’s trek—starting in Peawanuck and Fort Severn in Ontario, travelling on to Gillam and York Factory in Manitoba.
A family spokesperson said Skjottelvik’s body will be flown back to Norway on Wednesday.
-with files from CTV’s Harrison Shin
