Adventures in clipless continue....

I was doing a greenway ride yesterday using my clipless pedals. THere was a really short but very steep hill on it. I went up in a pretty low (easy) gear and about half way up and realized, uh oh, I'm not gonna make it. I didn't want to shift down anymore, because I had so much pressure on the pedals.

I realized that I was going to have to stop and walk up the last little bit, but I didn't think I could stop pedaling to unclip because I was already going so slow, I was scared I would just tip over. I managed to get over on the grass, just in case i fell, and unclipped without falling, but it was not my most graceful dismount.

Any tips on how to handle this situation?