CRX HF, Civic CX/VX owners, do you get locked out of 1st gear when moving???

[imzjustplayin]

I want to swap in a CX/VX transmission into my car but I'm hesitant to after learning that on one particular hill I have to climb in order to get home, I have to be in second gear to ascend this hill at 25mph. I have learned(?) recently when trying to downshift in my '98 Civic with a M/T, I am locked out of 1st gear unless I come to a complete stop. So my question is, for those with the HF, CX/VX transmissions, have you ever had to ascend a hill in 1st gear because the other gears were "too tall"? And if you did, did you have to do anything special or was shifting into 1st gear not a big deal?