Shouldn't your cadence be (ideally)constant no matter whether going uphill or flats, only changing gears to keep it that way?
Just a couple of days ago, I went a bit offroad up a huge (estimated 16-18%) grade just to see if I could make it. I pumped those pedals probably ten thousand times or more, but I made it without having to stand up. I was creeping along so slow I wondered if the bike might fall over sideways.... My cadence was a bit lower than normal in lowest gear due to the increased effort I was having to put forth to pull my big 400 lb rear up the hill, but I expect that will get better over time. I have nothing but hills to ride on with very few flats so I don't have a lot of choice in the matter. But then again, I have a 28 chainring / 34 cassette combo (the Giant "MegaRange") that I think would allow an experienced rider to climb Mt. Everest...