‘Walking America Couple’ stops in Lewiston during 12,000-mile trek to promote ‘healthier perspectives’
Paige Rouse, left, and her husband, Torin, walk down Main Street on Wednesday morning as they make their way through Lewiston. The couple in is the midst of a cross-country walk that has developed a following on social media. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
LEWISTON — Torin and Paige Rouse were just passing through.
The pair, from Missouri, is on a walkabout across the country and early in the week, they landed in Lewiston.
The Walking America Couple started their epic journey in the spring of 2022. Since then, it’s estimated they’ve stayed in 600 homes and more than 300 campsites, and built a Facebook following of about 85,000. As of this week, the couple had completed 29 states and nearly 8,000 miles of their trek.
They most recently walked from Canada to Mexico along the west coast. This week, they were walking Maine from east to west.
Why are they doing it?
“We’re talking to people about training healthier perspectives as they would relate to any obstacle that they might face in life,” said Torin on Wednesday.
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The way they see it, their walk should show others that even hard tasks can be enjoyed. They aim to teach people that they can become happier, more resilient and kinder to others.
When the couple announced last week that they were coming through Lewiston, it created a buzz on social media. And once she heard about it, Lin Prescott immediately offered to put the couple up in her home for the night.
Paige Rouse, left, and her husband, Torin, take a selfie Wednesday morning on Main Street as they make their way through Lewiston on their cross-country walk. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
For Prescott, it was a way to meet interesting people, but also to cast Lewiston in a favorable light.
“So many were trying to discourage them from coming to Lewiston,” she said. “There really are good things to be had here — they did research, they told me, and found the crime rate to be a lot less than most cities.”
The arrangement wasn’t lopsided. The couple got a place to spend the night and Prescott got herself some help after having surgery that left one of her arms in a sling.
“They were so helpful,” Prescott said. “They cooked for me!”
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While they were in the Lewiston-Auburn area, they got support elsewhere, as well. The Grid Iron Bar & Grill invited them for dinner. A local car dealership bought the couple new shoes and other gear. Radio personalities scrambled for interviews.
In the court of public opinion, the couple has been widely lauded for their efforts and for the reasons behind the long walk.
“I’m impressed with the energy this couple has,” Prescott said. “Changing one’s perspective on life can come from the inside to have a happier life, and one can accomplish a great deal more when those perspectives are changed.”
The Rouses, too, got a bit of perspective change during their travels. In the beginning, they were expecting to just make a 600-mile walk from Missouri to Colorado. Then they discovered how awesome complete strangers can be.
“We didn’t expect to being welcomed into homes by strangers when we didn’t even have a Facebook or a way to Google us to make sure we’re safe,” said Paige. “It absolutely changed our perspective of the world, and that’s what motivated us to keep going.”
While they were in the Twin Cities, social media hummed with news of their travels. Locals took to posting on Facebook to report spotting the pair.
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“I saw you walking on Center Street today!” one man posted.
“Never thought I’d see you guys walk through my home town!” wrote a Lewiston woman, who had been following the couple even before they came to Maine.
Torin Rouse takes a photo Wednesday morning of the Muhammad Ali statue on Main Street in Lewiston. His wife, Paige, right, looks up at it as they make their way through Lewiston on a cross-country walk. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
Some people took to advising the couple on areas they should avoid — sections of the Lewiston downtown, for instance — or to suggest things they should see during their stay.
There were a couple things Torin and Paige Rouse enjoyed in particular about their stay in Lewiston. One was the food culture. Another was the contrast they found coming from some livelier parts of the country.
“We’ve enjoyed that the pace of life is just a little bit slower,” said Paige.
Prescott, who shared her living quarters with the Rouses for a night, said she found the couple inspiring and interesting. She had been following them since they first entered Maine and has come to admire the pair a great deal.
“I feel so special,” she said, “that they chose to stay with me.”
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Mark LaFlamme is a Sun Journal reporter and weekly columnist. He's been on the nighttime police beat since 1994, which is just grand because he doesn't like getting out of bed before noon. Mark is the. More by Mark LaFlamme
