DODGE COUNTY, Ga. — Torin and Paige Rouse say kindness goes a long way.
They call themselves the Walking America Couple, and they seem to be on the right path.
They've walked from Wisconsin to Central Georgia, and they say people have embraced them throughout their journey.
Torin and Paige Rouse met in October of 2020.
When they met, they both decided to quit working in the corporate world and wanted to grow happy together.
"Because of living the way that we do, we have a lot of good news to share," Torin said, "I made the money that allowed me to provide the things for myself that are supposed to make us happy, but I didn't feel fulfilled or happy. I ended up getting rid of all my stuff and moving into a backpack and backpacked a few hundred miles through the mountains of Colorado. It just reset my perspective on everything,"
So they talked, they walked and started their journey on May 16, 2022 with their dog Jack.
"We did not think that we were going to experience the world the way that we did and it's transformed both of us," Torin said,
Torin and Paige plan to walk through all 48 of the lower states and Georgia marks number 17.
Throughout their journey, they have met strangers who have offered to host them. They say the kindness and selflessness they've been faced with keeps them going.
"You never really know what you're gonna bump into," Torin said. "It seems like we're getting to experience these little sections of the world that we didn't even necessarily know existed."
The couple originally planned to walk from Missouri to Colorado, but were inspired by the hearts of these strangers that they now call family.
"It's all about the people now," Paige said. "Every type of person that you can think of has been nice to us. We work hard not to let our differences separate us from people whether it's political or religious or anything like that. You can be friends with any type of person and every type of person has been so kind to us."
Torin and Paige covered over 4,000 miles, but the love for each other and the support they've received is even greater.
"We really felt like giving back to the world so it wasn't until we had already started walking that we finally decided we were gonna walk to each of the lower 48 states," Torin said. "I'd love to talk to the people about the world that we're actually situated inside of and the ways that we can reshape our perspective to see it for what it is."
Although they needed help along the way, they have also helped others.
"Life won't ever really go back to being what it used to be for either of us," Paige said. "Our lives have completely changed from Walking America."
This portion of the Rouse's journey ends with them walking through Georgia and through North and South Carolina. They will rest at home in Missouri, and start up the next stage in Wyoming.