thats why we decided to get a taxi home instead of hiking back!

That sounds like exactly what I would have done. Actually, I probably wouldn't have even made it all the way in. Years ago I was on a trail to a viewpoint and after something like 2 hours and I was so drenched in sweat I thought that we must be getting to the top soon only to see a sign that said we had approximately 2 hours left to the top. Since I was nearly out of water at that point I decided to turn around instead. I never did get to that top of that mountain :)