Lessons Learned: Just a 100 yards more

This week's challenge is to push yourself just a little bit further, just a little bit. Okay, so you are exhausted, you are sick of it, you don't think you can go any further (let alone make it back up the hill) but maybe, just maybe your big reward is just past the next corner. Do you really want to quit now if you find out later that if you kept it up just a wee bit longer you would have met your goal? Reached your destiny? Seen the crystal clear water gushing out of the natural spring? Harumph!

Do I sound a bit pushy? Miffed? Let me explain. Yesterday we took advantage of the day off to go for a hike to a place I had heard of tons of times, Fossil Creek. I had heard of various trails too. It didn't sound like too big of a mystery to get there. Hike down, hike back out.
We printed a forest service info page that listed the mileage as 3.1 miles to the creek. Long drive. We get there. The wooden sign reads "Fossil Springs, 4 miles." Hmmm, my mind goes, the springs must be further than the creek.
We start the hike down: easy, steep and rocky, easy, sloped, steep and rocky, easy, steep and rocky, is how I remember the trail. It went on and on but was a very pleasant hike. Our goal was to get back to the car in time to get back on the roads before it got dark. I was concerned because I figured it would take me awhile to get back up. Eventually we make it down the trail. And I was tired, make that exhausted. We get to the dry creek bed and park it. I sit on a natural rock ledge and pull out the lunches.
We talked about where the springs might be and I think that they must be about a mile downstream. I am not sure I can make it and back up the trail in time to meet our goal. We eat our lunch, relax, enjoy the scenery and head back up the trail.
On the way up we are passed by some backpackers coming out from the creek area. "Was there water?" I asked. "Oh yeah!" the first hiker replied. "When you got to the creek how far downstream were the springs?" I asked the second hiker. "Oh about 200 yards," he replied. And then continued after thinking a bit, "No, they really weren't more than 100 yards past the point you reached the creek." He went on about how he checked his GPS location and all. Meanwhile, I was whimpering inside. We were more than half of the way out and past the steepest, toughest part. No way we were going back today. Grrrr.
I am done kicking myself. The lesson has been learned. And now I get to look forward to another hike, in a few months.
I have heard you can drive there, however.