Well I tried the hill again. This time I moved my seat up an entire inch and what a difference. I was much more efficient with my pedaling and was able to get up the hill without having to go down that far in the gears. The lack of a headwind probably had an impact as well. In addition I rode farther and on a much hillier (is this a word?) route so by the time I got to this one I was pretty tired. I also stopped looking at the top of the hill and just watched my cadence and the road just in front of my tire (okay I peeked once or twice) but it did make a difference as I found myself at the top before I knew it. I feel much better about my ability and my fitness level now but boy was I hungry when I got home!