Hey all. My hamster wheel commute includes this ba***rd of a hill at the end. It's steeper than it looks, and around the corner the second part is even steeper.

Anyway, I currently ride that sucker on my backside but want to experiment with mashing (right word?) up it on my feet. Mostly I want to know if it's okay to gear down while I'm putting so much strain on the drive train? My Giant hybrid has mtb gearing, and I do love my granny gear. TIA, guys.