Riding With Ranger Tomas

Polly woke up on the shuttle railing as the sun came up. A man in a brown uniform was unlocking a small office across the lot. His name patch said T. RODRIGUEZ. He looked at her and smiled. "You can ride with me," he said.

Polly se probudila na ogradi shuttlea dok je sunce izlazilo. Čovjek u smeđoj uniformi otključavao je mali ured preko puta. Na oznaci mu je pisalo T. RODRIGUEZ. Pogledao je prema njoj i nasmiješio se. "Možeš se voziti sa mnom," rekao je.

That was how Polly spent the morning in a ranger's truck.

Tako je Polly provela jutro u rendžerovom kamionetu.

Tomas had been a Yosemite ranger for fourteen years. He had coffee in a Thermos, a clipboard, and a radio that crackled. He drove slowly. He stopped often.

Tomas je bio rendžer u Yosemiteu četrnaest godina. Imao je kavu u termosici, ploču za pisanje i radio koji je pucketao. Vozio je polako. Često je stajao.

The first stop was a wet meadow. Tomas walked into the grass and looked for signs that bears had been there. "In June, corn lilies grow here," he said. "Bears love them. We mark the meadows where they feed."

Prva stanica bila je mokra livada. Tomas je ušao u travu i tražio znakove da su medvjedi bili tamo. "U lipnju ovdje rastu kukuruzne ljiljane," rekao je. "Medvjedi ih obožavaju. Označavamo livade gdje se hrane."

Polly hopped to the open truck window. The corn lilies were not up yet. They were just small green spears.

Polly je skočila do otvorenog prozora kamioneta. Kukuruzni ljiljani još nisu izrasli. Bili su tek mali zeleni vrhovi.

The road climbed. The air cooled. At a switchback, Tomas stopped and pointed. A peregrine falcon was sitting on a rock. Polly's red head tilted. The falcon looked at them, then dropped off the rock and was gone in less than a second.

Cesta se uspinjala. Zrak se hladio. Na serpentinama, Tomas je stao i pokazao. Sivi sokol sjedio je na stijeni. Polly je nagnula svoju crvenu glavu. Sokol ih je pogledao, a zatim se spustio sa stijene i nestao za manje od sekunde.

"They nest on the cliffs," Tomas said. "We have six pairs in the valley this year."

"Gnijezde se na liticama," rekao je Tomas. "Imamo šest parova u dolini ove godine."

Polly watched how the falcon had folded its wings. She wanted to try that drop herself. Maybe tomorrow.

Polly je promatrala kako je sokol sklopio krila. Htjela je i sama pokušati taj pad. Možda sutra.

At the next stop, Tomas walked into the woods alone. He came back with a metal cylinder. "Bear-proof food locker someone tried to bury," he said. He put it in the truck bed.

Na sljedećoj stanici, Tomas je ušao u šumu sam. Vratio se s metalnim cilindrom. "Medvjeđi sef za hranu koji je netko pokušao zakopati," rekao je. Stavio ga je u stražnji dio kamioneta.

At noon they came to Olmsted Point. The high country opened in front of them. Tenaya Lake far below. Half Dome from behind. Grey peaks fading into haze.

U podne su stigli do Olmsted Pointa. Visoka zemlja otvorila se pred njima. Jezero Tenaya daleko ispod. Half Dome s leđa. Sivi vrhovi nestajali su u izmaglici.

"This," Tomas said, "is the part most people drive past." He poured coffee into the lid of his Thermos and set it on the dashboard next to Polly. "Stay a while."

"Ovo," rekao je Tomas, "je dio koji većina ljudi samo prođe." Natočio je kavu u poklopac svoje termosice i stavio ga na kontrolnu ploču pokraj Polly. "Ostani malo."