Mount Versay

Etymology In orc verbal histories, the chief of all the mountain tribes and his two sons, Klickitat and Montith, traveled down the a nearby river from the Far North in search for a suitable area to settle. They came upon an area that is now called the Soranal Mountains and thought they had never seen a land so beautiful. The sons quarreled over the land, so to solve the dispute their father shot two arrows from his mighty bow – one to the north and the other to the south. Klickitat followed the arrow to the north and settled there while Montith did the same for the arrow to the south. The warchief then built the Bridge of the Arrows, so his family could meet periodically.
When the two sons of the warchief fell in love with a beautiful warrior named Loornoth, she could not choose between them. The two young chiefs fought over her, burying villages and forests in the process. The area was devastated and the ground shook so violently that the huge bridge fell into the river, creating the cascades of the Soranal Mountains.
For punishment, the warchief rose from his tomb and struck down each of the lovers and transformed them into great mountains where they fell. Klickitat, with his head lifted in pride, became the volcano known today as Mount Versay. Montith, with his head bent toward his fallen love, was turned into farmland now called Labordin.

Geography

Mount Versay is located in the western/northwestern Soranal Mountain Range. It is geologically young compared with the other major Alteria volcanoes. It formed only within the past 40,000 years, and the summit cone present before its last major eruption began rising about 2,200 years ago. The volcano is considered the most active in the Soranal Mountains within the Holocene epoch, which encompasses roughly the last 10,000 years. Mount Versay has stood out prominently from surrounding hills because of the symmetry and extensive snow and ice cover of its upper cone. The peak rose more than 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above its base, where the lower flanks merge with adjacent ridges. The mountain is 6 miles (9.7 km) across at its base, which is at an elevation of 4,400 feet (1,300 m) on the northeastern side and 4,000 feet (1,200 m) elsewhere.

Ecosystem

Forests of large, coniferous trees (western red cedars, firs, western hemlocks, firs, pines, spruces, and others) dominate most of the Soranal Mountains. Cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers (largely a result of oceanic influence) favor evergreen species, whereas mild temperatures and rich soils promote fast and prolonged growth.

Fauna & Flora

Black bears, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, beavers, deer, elk, moose, mountain goats and a few wolf packs live near Mount Versay and within the Soranal Mountains. Grizzly bears have been known to have several hibernation caves on the volcano face.

Tourism

Climbing - Mount Versay is a common climbing destination for both beginning and experienced mountaineers. The peak is climbed year-round, although it is more often climbed from late spring through early fall. All routes include sections of steep, rugged terrain. The standard hiking/mountaineering route in the warmer months is the Monitor Ridge Route, which starts at the Climbers Bivouac. This is the most crowded route to the summit in the summer and gains about 4,600 feet (1,400 m) in approximately 5 miles (8 km) to reach the crater rim.  Although strenuous, it is considered a non-technical climb that involves some scrambling. Most climbers complete the round trip in 7 to 12 hours. The Worm Flows Route is considered the standard winter route on Mount Versay, as it is the most direct route to the summit. The route gains about 5,700 feet (1,700 m) in elevation over about 6 miles (10 km) from trailhead to summit but does not demand the technical climbing that some other peaks in the Soranal Mountain Range do. The route name refers to the rocky lava flows that surround the route. This route can be accessed via the Marble Mountain Steps and the Swift Trail.

Type

Volcano