I have lived in the hilly Ozarks, and this is the gearing still on my Peugeot from those days:

Front - TA triple - 30-46-50

Rear - Suntour Perfect - 14-17-24-28-38 (but 14-17-22-28-38 fills in a gap the 24T does not, but I have not made the swap yet)

Changers - Huret Duopar Eco, actuated with Suntour index bar-end shifters (it works!)

Yeah! Click shifting with a Duopar!!

That kind of gearing will serve you well on almost any Ozark hill. In my case, I have moved to the flatter desert country of southeast New Mexico, and am considering a much smaller rear cog.