Jazda s rangerom Tomášom

Polly sa zobudila na zábradlí autobusu, keď vychádzalo slnko. Muž v hnedej uniforme odomykal malú kanceláriu na druhej strane parkoviska. Na menovke mal napísané T. RODRIGUEZ. Pozrel na ňu a usmial sa. "Môžeš ísť so mnou," povedal.

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.

Takto Polly strávila ráno v rangerovom aute.

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

Tomáš bol rangerom v Yosemitoch štrnásť rokov. Mal kávu v termoske, dosku na písanie a rádio, ktoré praskalo. Jazdil pomaly. Často zastavoval.

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.

Prvá zastávka bola na mokrej lúke. Tomáš vošiel do trávy a hľadal znaky, že tam boli medvede. "V júni tu rastú kukuričné ľalie," povedal. "Medvede ich milujú. Označujeme lúky, kde sa kŕmia."

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."

Polly vyskočila k otvorenému oknu auta. Kukuričné ľalie ešte nevyrástli. Boli len malé zelené výhonky.

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

Cesta stúpala. Vzduch sa ochladzoval. Na serpentíne Tomáš zastavil a ukázal. Na skale sedel sokol sťahovavý. Polly naklonila svoju červenú hlavu. Sokol sa na nich pozrel, potom sa spustil zo skaly a zmizol za menej ako sekundu.

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.

"Hniezdia na útesoch," povedal Tomáš. "Tento rok máme v údolí šesť párov."

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

Polly sledovala, ako sokol zložil krídla. Chcela si to vyskúšať sama. Možno zajtra.

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

Na ďalšej zastávke Tomáš vošiel sám do lesa. Vrátil sa s kovovým valcom. "Niekto sa pokúsil zakopať skrinku na jedlo odolnú proti medveďom," povedal. Položil ju na korbu auta.

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 poludnie prišli k Olmsted Point. Vysoká krajina sa pred nimi otvorila. Tenaya Lake ďaleko dole. Half Dome zozadu. Sivé vrcholy miznúce v opare.

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.

"Toto," povedal Tomáš, "je časť, ktorú väčšina ľudí prejde." Nalial kávu do vrchnáka termosky a položil ju na palubnú dosku vedľa Polly. "Zostaň chvíľu."

"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."