Thanks for the encouragement AdamSean... good to know that 5% is a struggle for most beginners.
Svtmike, I'm not sure how fast I was going up the hill. I should have checked, I only glanced down quickly a couple of times to check my cadence because I've read that it's good to try to keep pedaling around 90 rpm. I know what gear i was in though, if that helps. I just ran and counted the teeth. Assuming I counted them correctly (it was hard to see in some spots), i was in a 34 tooth front chain ring and an 18 tooth rear "gear?". I'm not sure what speed that translates to though.. guessing maybe 18-20km/h?