As of: March 29, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Magdalena Höcherl
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So close to heaven: The Pyrenees between France and Spain with their steep rocky cliffs pushed Steven Dunn to his limits. He was compensated by the view over the green valleys - and a lunch break with eagles. © private
Steven Dunn made a pilgrimage from Bavaria to Spain. A story about making dreams come true, the misconception that pilgrimage is only for believers, and what you can learn from snails.
Moosburg
– With the last of his strength, Steven Dunn climbs the stone cliffs. The stage over the Pyrenees, which separate France from Spain, is the most challenging of his journey so far. But the view makes up for the exertion for the 66-year-old: he looks over the valleys, the sun is shining and eagles are sailing along the cliffs all around him. “Taking a lunch break in the middle of this scene was an impressive experience.”
Last June to November, Dunn, who founded the Free Christian Community “Neues Leben” in Moosburg in the mid-1990s, made a pilgrimage from Bavaria to the west coast of Spain. The pastor, a native American, feels very connected to nature. “When God created man, he did not place him in a house, but in a garden. God can be felt in nature, and those who are out and about get to know creation differently.”
The first evidence: Steven Dunn picked up a stamp from Mayor Josef Dollinger in the Moosburg town hall. In total he filled four pilgrim cards. © private
A trip to Scotland was the deciding factor
A few years ago, while on a hike in Scotland with his wife Astrid, Dunn heard about the Way of St. James for the first time - and found out that it also runs through Bavaria and that he can basically start straight from home. When he places responsibility for his parish in younger hands in October 2022, he takes nine months to prepare for his next task: the “Camino,” as pilgrims call the Way of St. James. To this end, he also joins the Moosburg local association of the DAV and trains diligently. During his first multi-day tour in the Bavarian Forest, he had doubts: “Is it even realistic to walk all the way to Spain at my age?” But the desire to go that route prevails. The fact that Dunn is undertaking this journey in 2023 is something special for him: “When I was 16, I decided to become a pastor. At 66, I wanted to walk the Way of St. James and celebrate 50 years of walking with Jesus.”
Symbolic snail encounter
The path does have its pitfalls: steep mountains, pouring rain, barely controllable wind and feet that at some point no longer want to go any further. In moments like this, Dunn remembers an experience on his second big rehearsal before the start, in the Isarwinkel. On the way to the Sylvenstein reservoir he discovered a snail, which is known to move slowly but tirelessly. “Because cyclists were whizzing past left and right, I picked them up and put them on the grass,” he says. A thought occurred to him: “I am like this snail, my backpack is my snail shell. The journey to Spain will certainly be long and arduous. But God is with me, and when I need it, He helps me like I helped that snail.”
Unlike the snail, Steven Dunn didn't want to leave a trail of slime, but rather a “trail of blessings” and get into conversation with the other pilgrims. He soon had a realization: “Pilgrimage is good for everyone, regardless of whether they are believers or not. Even people who described themselves as atheists have reported that they began to think about certain things differently. Many said that they couldn't do anything with the church as an institution, but that they wanted to find something spiritually because they were sure that there was something greater than man."
At the end of the world: After four months, Steven Dunn reached Cape Finisterre on the Spanish Atlantic coast. For many pilgrims it is considered the actual end of the Way of St. James. © private
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It wasn't over yet in Compostela
After more than 3,000 kilometers and countless conversations, Dunn arrived in Santiago de Compostela at the end of October, where he received his pilgrimage certificate. But his journey wasn't over yet: Like some others, he wanted to get to Cape Finisterre on the Spanish Atlantic coast, which is considered the actual end of the Way of St. James. Dunn even went 30 kilometers further to Muxia. Only then did he get on the bus back home. Above all, the joy of the family was of course great, but also of their own bed and a well-stocked refrigerator. “But I learned in the 130 days that people actually don’t need that much. And most of all, I was just happy that I managed to take this path.”
Today, the now 67-year-old is already considering taking another, similarly long route: via the Balkan route to Greece. “I’m currently looking into how feasible this is,” says Dunn. Then he adds with a laugh: “Of course my wife still has to agree that I can go for a ride again.”
All the way
Steven Dunn accompanied his entire pilgrimage on his blog snail-trail.de, or “Schneckenpfad” in German.