08. Nov 2025

Final thoughts

THINGS THAT I LEARNED IN THE LAST 130 DAYS:
I had wanted to write out a list on day 100, but never got to it. So this list will be a bit longer than the lists from day 10, 30 and 70...

1. When you do long distance hiking like this, you will always be hungry, you will always be thirsty, and you will always be tired in the evening.

2. Altimeters: It is not so much how many there are on a day’s hike that will be the challenge, but the steepness, whether the path is paved or rocky or wet and slippery, or whether there are multiple climbs and descents or just one or two real long ones.

3. A dotted line on the map does not always mean that it is a good path to follow and scenic trails are not always the easiest trails to hike, but well worth the extra effort.

4. What appears to be the obvious path to take at a crossing, is not always the case. Check the map!

5. Rain in the forecast is not always rain-rain. But when it is, you will get wet, real wet.

6. …how to put on a poncho over myself and my backpack when I am on the path alone.

7. Eating mixed nuts with your Snickers candy bar is a great way to intensify the eating experience.

8. You can eat a yogurt with a plastic spoon. If it is vanilla yogurt and you wash out the cup with orange juice and drink it, it will taste like a creamsicle.

9. If you do not have honey or sugar for your black tea, you can cut up grapes and put raisins in it to make it sweet. Afterwards you will have a warm fruit cocktail.

10. Eat some of the apples that fall to the ground along the way. They will give you needed moisture, vitamins and energy.

11. Greet the pilgrims that you see along the way. You might end up sharing the same bunk bed room in the evening with them.

12. The more pilgrims that are on the path, the harder it is to find a private tree to pee behind.

13. Bed bug bites swell, itch and hurt. I had at least three attacks at different places.

14. When you walk with Jesus, you never walk alone.

15. The harvest is there, but the workers are few. People have spiritual needs. They have questions and are looking for answers. They will listen to truth that has been lived out, to personal stories that demonstrate God’s love and grace.

16. God keeps his promises.

17. …how good it is to be back home!

THINGS THAT I LOST ON THE SNAIL-TRAIL:
A microfiber cleaning cloth
My favorite combo swim suit/sport shorts
A real nice travel fork-knife-spoon set
A thermos bottle that my daughter gave me
A 50 Euro bill
A good pair of hiking socks
The toenail on my left big toe
One tooth filling
11% of my body weight (8 kilos)
…BUT I DID NOT LOSE MY TEMPER!!!

WHAT I GAINED ON THE SNAIL-TRAIL:
Many new friends.
Life experiences and the experience of a lifetime.
Endurance.
Resilience.
Confidence in the faithfulness of God.

MANY THANKS!
This is my last blog posting. Thank you for being a part of this journey by reading the blogs, praying for me and hoping with me that I would make it. I really appreciated the encouraging comments I received from time to time. It let me know that you are interested in the Snail-Trail and gave me the feeling that a whole number of people were actually walking with me, even though I could not see their faces, but I felt their hearts. I am forever grateful for my wife Astrid who believed I could do this and allowed me to walk away from home for over four months. I greatly appreciated the partnership with VM-I allowing me to use their internet space for the Snail-Trail webpage. Also Martin Körber from VM-I did a tremendous job in developing and managing the Snail-Trail webpage. Thanks so much! I express my thanks to Kirk Priest from the Assemblies of God World Missions for his encouragement to me to take on this challenge of doing the walk and for his efforts to communicate the Snail-Trail to the American audience. We have been a team. Without you and God’s grace I would not have made it. Many thanks! Also I want to express my thanks to those who have made either a one time contribution or a per kilometer pledge to the projects listed here on the Snail-Trail webpage. Your investment can help bring about God's purposes in Europe! Thanks so much!

SPECIAL OFFER:
Along the way I met many people from different nations to whom I gave this webpage. I would love to hear from you. You may get in contact with me by using my personal email: dunn.steve@gmx.de
In many conversations I encouraged people to get to know Jesus by reading his biography which can be found in the first four books of the New Testament: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. If anyone does not have a New Testament and would like to have one, just send me a note and let me know in which language you would like to have one. I will send you one free of charge. This offer will be my Christmas present to you and is valid until the end of this year.

SIMPLE PRAYER:
Along the path I met and prayed with many people. Getting connected with God is just a prayer away. Some were not yet ready to make that decision and needed time to consider what it means to say “yes” to Jesus. Should that time come, hopefully very soon, I leave you with this simple prayer:

Dear God in heaven, I believe you are real and that you love me. Thank you for giving me grace for a new start in life through Jesus. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who took my sins upon himself on the cross. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and broke the power of sin and death so that I can be connected to God. Thank you Jesus for this amazing grace. Thank you for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus, fill me now with your Holy Spirit. Turn the light on in my soul that was turned off by sin. Be the Lord of my life. Your will be my will. Your way be my way. Thank you for new life, for eternal life. Thank you for making me to be a child of God!

Jesus said (John 5:24): “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

Be blessed everyone!
Steve