At the head of Black River, between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, there are many
nearly level or gently sloping areas, sometimes of considerable extent.
These are covered with open yellow pine forests, with many white-barked
aspens scattered here and there, and an abundance of grasses and low
bushes. This was once a favorite summer country for elk, and I have
seen there many bushes and small saplings which had been twisted and
barked by bull elk while rubbing the velvet from their horns.
Immediately south and east of Black River lies the Prieto Plateau, a
well wooded mountain mass rising steeply from Black River Canyon to a
broad summit about 9,000 feet in altitude. The northerly slopes of this
plateau, facing the river, are heavily forested with pines, firs, aspens
and brushy undergrowth, and are good elk country. The summit is cold and
damp, with areas of spruce thickets and attractive wet meadows scattered
here and there. Beyond the summit of the plateau, to the south and east,
the country descends abruptly several thousand feet, in a series of
rocky declivities and sharp spur-like ridges, to the canyon of Blue
River, a tributary of the San Francisco River.
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