By Ross Gentry
A disillusioned congressman inadvertently sparks a revolution—all because he goes for a hike.
Questions linger about Congressman Washington “Wash” Westmore after he quietly disappears from Capitol Hill.
Where has he gone—and why did he leave?
After an accident on a mountain summit, Wash leaves Washington D.C. behind to hike hundreds of miles through the wild landscapes that shaped the thinking of Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and Henry David Thoreau.
From the bleak, beautiful Dakota Badlands to the granite heights of the High Sierra and the rugged ridgelines of the White Mountains, he presses further into the wilderness—but to what end?
The deeper into the backcountry Wash goes, the more he is pursued by the machinery of Washington—paparazzi, a relentless reporter, and political operators desperate to protect the status quo.
Guided only by his late historian father’s journals, Wash navigates a dance of political espionage, unlikely relationships across party lines, and the hidden pressures of national power.
Stories unfold.
Motives are revealed.
And one man’s walk through America’s wild places begins to stir something few believed possible in the nation’s Capitol.
To Washington is a lyrical adventure through wilderness and public life—an exploration of history, conscience, and the enduring hope that people, even in politics, can still find their way back to their better selves.
"This book reminds us why John Muir believed that the hope of the world lies in wild places and shows us that it's not too late to fix our broken campaign finance system and policy-making process. This novel is a gripping narrative that exposes the price of power in Washington while examining what it means to live a meaningful life.
- Michael Beckel, Director of Money in Politics Reform at Issue One
Ross Gentry lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Erin. While an avid amateur backpacker, hiker, and photographer, he works as both a physical therapist and an adjunct professor of exercise science.
