Loved ones of Steffen Skjottelvik, a Norwegian trekker who has been missing in northern Manitoba for more than a week, gathered in his home country on Friday to hope for the best, while preparing for the worst, as the outlook for finding the 29-year-old alive in the remote coastal wilderness worsens.

About 100 relatives, friends and community members attended a service at Holmsbu kirke church, just outside of Oslo, on Friday night "to gather in hope" for Skjottelvik, said Christian Dyresen.

"The …