Steffen Skjottelvik set out on a multiyear journey across Canada, hoping to reach Alaska with his sled dogs. After nearly two years in the wilderness, the 29-year-old drowned while attempting to cross a river. His dogs survived, leaving behind a story of extraordinary endurance, grief and a deep bond with the land.
A life shaped by adventure
Steffen Skjottelvik grew up in rural Norway, spending much of his childhood outdoors. While other teenagers socialised and rode mopeds, he preferred solitary trips into the woods, fishing, climbing trees and sleeping under the stars.
He was inspired by Norway’s celebrated wilderness explorers, including Lars Monsen and Helge Ingstad. Their journeys convinced him that adventure could be more than a hobby: it could be a way of life.
In 2015, aged 20, he began planning a major expedition. He acquired Togo, an Alaskan malamute, followed by two huskies, Sila and Kasin, hoping to build a team capable of travelling long distances across remote terrain.
His original ambition was to cross Russia’s Arctic wilderness. After Russia invaded Ukraine, he turned his attention to Canada, planning to travel west from Ontario towards Alaska over several years.
His journey attracted attention through a Facebook page, Steffen’s Great Canadian Journey. Followers were drawn to his ambition and unconventional approach to exploration. Rather than racing towards a destination, he wanted to live alongside his dogs in the wilderness, travelling by sled, canoe and on foot.
Finding a home in the Canadian north
Steffen began his Canadian expedition in spring 2024, travelling north from Ontario with his dogs. The team crossed frozen rivers and raced against the spring thaw, when ice breaks apart and floods waterways.
His equipment was basic, and his sled was smaller and less robust than those typically used by experienced long-distance mushers. But his relationship with the dogs was remarkable. They responded to quiet commands even when their instincts urged them to chase animals in the surrounding forest.
When Sila became seriously ill, Steffen abandoned that stage of the journey and arranged a helicopter evacuation to Peawanuck, a remote Cree community near Hudson Bay. He and his dogs remained there through the warmer months, allowing Sila to recover.
The village became an unexpected home. Steffen formed friendships with local residents, learned traditional hunting and food-preservation techniques, and developed a close relationship with Lilyann Mack. An elder, Jean Wabeno, treated him like a son and taught him about local plants, animal products and the Cree language.
Steffen eventually decided he wanted to settle in Peawanuck permanently after completing his expedition. His mother, Gry Skjottelvik, said he seemed more balanced than ever before, having found people who shared his interests in hunting, fishing and living close to nature.
His dogs also became part of the community. In 2023, Sila gave birth to a female puppy named Bay, adding another member to the growing team.
A dangerous journey along Hudson Bay
The expedition suffered a major setback in May 2024, when wolves killed Kasin. With his remaining dogs unable to provide the pulling power needed for the next stage, Steffen abandoned plans to travel by sled along the Hudson Bay coast.
Instead, he decided to cover the more than 300-mile stretch from Peawanuck to York Factory by canoe and on foot during the summer of 2025.
The route presented serious dangers. Powerful tides could transform shallow waterways into treacherous crossings, while polar bears regularly roamed the coastline. Local residents warned him that summer travel could be more hazardous than the original winter expedition.
Before leaving in June 2025, Steffen admitted to Lilyann that he was nervous. She encouraged him to make his own decision, despite wanting him to stay.
He departed with Togo, intending to leave the rest of his dogs with friends. Bay, however, swam after his canoe and refused to turn back, so he took her along as well.
The journey was exhausting. Steffen waded through vast stretches of shallow water, dragged his canoe across muddy flats and slept beside driftwood fires. He encountered polar bears at close range, sometimes seeing several in a single day. On one occasion, Togo chased a bear, leaving Steffen terrified that his dog would be killed.
After abandoning his canoe near Fort Severn, Steffen continued inland with the two dogs. Dense woodland, deep bogs, swarms of mosquitoes and extreme heat slowed their progress. Togo sometimes needed to stop every 15 minutes to cool down.
The journey became even more difficult when Bay disappeared. Steffen searched for her, fired his rifle into the air and built a large fire in the hope that she would find her way back. Seeing wolf tracks, he feared she had been killed.
Left with Togo, he continued towards York Factory, enduring repeated river crossings and the constant threat of polar bears. He had lost his life jacket and was increasingly exhausted.
The final river crossing
By mid-August, Steffen and Togo were approaching the end of the coastal journey. The terrain was cut through by countless creeks and rivers, forcing them to wade or swim repeatedly.
Their final major obstacle was the Hayes River, whose mouth stretches almost three miles across. An attempt to swim across was thwarted by the tide, which pulled them towards Hudson Bay.
Steffen decided to travel inland to cross the river nearer York Factory, where he hoped to find shelter and people. He was cold, tired and eager to reach the historic trading post, which lay on the opposite bank.
In a video recorded as he walked, he spoke about reaching the nearby town of Gillam, where he planned to book a hotel room, eat well and rest for several weeks.
Then he saw York Factory across the river. The white historic building stood out against the grey sky and the surrounding wilderness. Rain was falling, the water was high and the current was strong. Waiting for low tide would have made the crossing considerably easier.
But Steffen was close to the end of his journey.
He told the camera that he and Togo had made it from Peawanuck to York along the coast. Smiling, he switched off the recording and entered the water.
He never emerged.
Togo eventually pulled himself from the river. His pack was soaked and heavy, and he had to chew through a strap to free himself when it caught on a root. He settled on the riverbank, apparently waiting for Steffen to follow.
Staff at York Factory initially mistook the exhausted dog for a wolf. When they realised he was a dog, they fed him sausages. Steffen’s body was found downstream ten days later.
Rescuers also recovered an SD card containing more than 20 hours of video diaries, including footage recorded just minutes before his death.
A lasting connection with the community
News of Steffen’s death prompted an outpouring of grief. People in communities along his route shared messages, poems and artwork, while candlelight vigils were held in places he had visited.
His parents later travelled to Peawanuck, where residents welcomed them with embraces and gifts. During a visit in July 2026, they attended celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the community’s founding, as well as a memorial for their son.
Local Indigenous leaders praised Steffen for the relationships he had built. He had lived among the community, started learning Cree and formed a relationship with a First Nations woman — a level of engagement that many outsiders never attempt.
Walter Wastesicoot, grand chief of a council representing 11 First Nations, said Steffen had established a genuine relationship with the people and the land. He added that he wished political leaders would follow a similar example.
Steffen’s parents have since established a foundation in Norway, including a camp intended to introduce young people to outdoor life. Based on his grandparents’ farm, the project will teach children to fish, sleep in tents and build fires, carrying forward the values that shaped their son.
They are still working through the videos he left behind, watching them in sections as they find the strength to do so.
The dogs who survived
Bay eventually reappeared in Fort Severn, apparently having travelled through the wilderness alone. She was unharmed, despite the possibility that she had encountered wolves along the way.
Most of Steffen’s dogs have since moved in with other mushers. Bay and Togo live with Lilyann in Peawanuck, where they continue to grieve alongside her.
Lilyann recalled sitting with Togo and crying after Steffen’s death. The dog would remain quietly beside her, and for weeks he howled through the night. Later, he began shaking and whimpering in his sleep.
For Lilyann, the hardest part was waking each morning and remembering that Steffen was not coming back.
She and the dogs still visit the river near his former camp, where she sometimes speaks aloud to him.
Steffen’s recordings preserve a different side of his journey: not only the dangers of polar bears and swollen rivers, but also his fascination with small details of the natural world. He filmed frogs, insects and spiders, often marvelling at things that others might overlook.
In one of his favourite moments, wolves howled from across the river and his dogs answered. Steffen joined in, howling through his fist to imitate a snout. When the wolves fell silent, the dogs did too.
He suddenly realised that the animals were responding to their own echoes. The wilderness had seemed to answer them, but the voices belonged to his own team.
It was a small, joyful discovery — a reminder of the wonder Steffen had found in the outdoors, and of the life he had hoped to share with his dogs.
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