Walking down the river

and a dirt path 

became a raging river, filled with hail

and rain, 

I put my sunhat over my rain hood

to keep from being beaten about the face

with icy pellets.

any attempts to keep dry feet were quickly aborted

and I hiked down the trail with haste,

yet cautiously,

hoping not

to slip on hidden rocks.

Woe to the hikers who had no rain gear,

they were huddled under spindly pine trees

I would have helped them if I could.

And to the mountain bikers who were

careening down hill a moment ahead of me,

they were caught in hail, wheels splashing

through the rivers that used to be trails.

How quickly things change 

from a sunny warm day to 

thunder, hail and torrential rain.

Let us be prepared.