Juu ya Bonde

Polly alikuja chini kupitia korongo la Merced, kichwa chake cha rangi ya rangi nyekundu-machungwa kikiwa kimegeukia upepo uliokuwa na harufu ya utomvu wa msonobari na vumbi la granite. Chini yake bonde lilifunguka. Miamba mikali pande zote mbili. Mto wenye rangi ya bati. Sakafu ndefu ya kijani kibichi.

Polly came in low through the Merced canyon, her red-orange head turned into a wind that smelled of pine resin and granite dust. Below her the valley opened. Sheer cliffs on both sides. A river the colour of pewter. A long green floor.

Alipanda na kugeuka. Kutoka angani, Bonde la Yosemite lilionekana kama herufi U iliyokatwa kwenye jiwe na jitu makini. Hilo halikuwa mbali na ukweli. Miaka elfu ishirini iliyopita, barafu yenye unene wa mita elfu moja ilipita hapa, iking'oa vitalu vya granite kutoka kwenye kuta na kusaga sakafu kuwa tambarare. Bonde lilikuwa umbo hasi la barafu hiyo.

She climbed and turned. From the air, Yosemite Valley looked like a U cut out of stone by a careful giant. That was not far off. Twenty thousand years ago, an ice sheet a thousand metres thick had pushed through here, plucking blocks of granite off the walls and grinding the floor flat. The valley was the negative shape of that ice.

Alielekea El Capitan. Ukuta ulikuwa na urefu wa mita mia tisa wa mwamba wa kijivu hafifu, karibu wima. Nukta mbili ndogo za rangi zilikuwa zimeganda kwenye uso karibu nusu ya njia. Wapandaji. Walikuwa huko kwa siku mbili na wangekuwa huko kwa siku mbili zaidi.

She banked toward El Capitan. The wall was nine hundred metres of pale grey rock, almost vertical. Two tiny dots of colour were stuck to the face about halfway up. Climbers. They had been up there for two days and would be up there for two more.

Polly alikaa juu ya msonobari wa jeffrey uliopinda na upepo kwenye ukingo. Sindano zilikuwa na harufu ya butterscotch kwenye jua. Kutoka hapa aliweza kuwaona wapandaji kwa uwazi zaidi. Walihama kwa mwendo mmoja wa tahadhari kwa wakati mmoja, wakishikilia kwenye sahani ndogo za chuma. Aliwatazama kwa dakika ndefu. Hakuna hata mmoja wao aliyeangalia chini.

Polly perched on a wind-bent jeffrey pine at the rim. The needles smelled of butterscotch in the sun. From here she could see the climbers more clearly. They moved one careful motion at a time, anchored to small metal plates. She watched a long minute. Neither of them looked down.

Gari la mlinzi wa hifadhi lilipanda barabara chini. Polly alilitambua. Alikuwa ameambiwa, na kasuku mwingine aliyemfahamu, kwamba njia bora ya kujifunza kuhusu hifadhi ni kutoka kwenye kiti cha abiria cha mlinzi anayefanya kazi. Alifikiria hilo kwa muda.

A ranger's pickup truck climbed the road below. Polly noted it. She had been told, by a previous parrot of her acquaintance, that the best way to learn a park was from the passenger seat of a working ranger. She thought about that for a while.

Aliruka chini ya ukingo wa kusini, polepole, akichukua hewa kama ilivyokuja. Tai wa mwitu aliinuka karibu naye kwenye joto bila kupapasa mabawa hata mara moja. Polly alinyosha miwani yake vizuri dhidi ya upepo na kumtazama tai akipanda juu.

She flew down the south rim, slow, taking the air as it came. A turkey vulture rose past her on a thermal without flapping once. Polly tilted her glasses straighter against the wind and watched the vulture climb.

Katika sakafu ya bonde, hewa ilikuwa ya joto na hafifu chini ya mwavuli. Alitua juu ya msonobari wa sukari uliokuwa umeanguka na kuruhusu manyoya yake kutulia. Msonobari huo ulikuwa labda na upana wa mita mbili kwenye msingi wake. Ulianguka muda mrefu uliopita. Tayari moss ilikuwa inaufanyia kazi.

At the valley floor, the air was warm and dim under the canopy. She landed on a fallen sugar pine and let her feathers settle. The pine was perhaps two metres across at its base. It had fallen some long time ago. Already moss was working on it.

Mto Merced ulipita, rangi ya kahawia na kuyeyuka kwa masika. Polly aliruka chini na kuweka miguu yake ya njano kwenye mchanga wenye unyevunyevu kando yake. Maji yalikuwa baridi kiasi cha kufanya vidole vyake vya mguu kuuma.

The Merced River ran past, brown with spring melt. Polly hopped down and put her yellow feet in the wet sand at its edge. The water was cold enough to make her toes ache.

Bango la hifadhi karibu na njia liliandikwa SHUTTLE TO VISITOR CENTER. Polly alifikiria hili. Kisha akanyoosha mabawa yake ya rangi ya bluu-kijani na kuelekea kwenye kituo cha basi, chini zaidi ya bonde.

A park sign near the trail read SHUTTLE TO VISITOR CENTER. Polly considered this. Then she stretched her blue-teal wings and made for the shuttle stop, lower down the valley.

Basi lilikuwa la kijani kibichi kirefu lenye madirisha wazi. Mwanamke aliyevaa sare ya kahawia alikuwa dereva. Alimtazama Polly bila mshangao. "Unapanda?" Polly aligeuza kichwa chake. Mwanamke huyo alifungua mlango.

The shuttle was a long green bus with open windows. A woman in a brown uniform was the driver. She looked at Polly without surprise. "You riding?" Polly tilted her head. The woman opened the door.

Polly aliruka hadi kwenye reli ndani ya basi. Basi lilianza kusonga. Nje, El Capitan iligeuka polepole mbele ya madirisha. Polly alitazama wapandaji wakipungua tena. Kesho angepata njia ya kupanda juu.

Polly hopped to a railing inside the bus. The bus rolled. Outside, El Capitan turned slowly past the windows. Polly watched the climbers grow smaller again. Tomorrow she would find a way up.

Basi lilifika kwenye kituo cha wageni. Polly alibaki kwenye reli. Dereva alisema, "Kituo cha mwisho," na akacheka. "Unaweza kulala hapa kama unataka." Polly alificha kichwa chake chini ya bawa lake. Alifanya hivyo.

The shuttle pulled into the visitor centre. Polly stayed on the railing. The driver said, "Last stop," and laughed. "You can sleep here if you want." Polly tucked her head under her wing. She did.