We tend to have shorter, steep climbs here in New England, as opposed to the longer 4-6% grades in the west. For instance, my driveway, which is 850 feet, is 15% at the steepest part and my street varies between 4% and 12% in about 1.4 miles. Just west of here, we have regular 12-20% climbs, and the further west or north you go, the steeper and longer they can be.
I'm glad you found the solution. I haven't ridden my bike with the compact enough to pass final judgement. I like the feel of the shifting, right now I am being annoyed by the Frogs, which seem to unclip on their own...
I keep saying I just need to get stronger and deal with riding in a very slightly harder gear (instead of the 16 cog), as I am not sure I want to lose my 2 lower gears. The reason I got this bike was to take on trips (it has couplers and can go in a regular sized suitcase), where we usually end of doing a lot of climbing, whether it is in the Berkshires or in Europe. If I switch to the 11-32 from the 34, to get the 16 cog, I will essentially be riding a very expensive custom steel bike with the same gears as my carbon bike with the triple. So, the jury is out.