Drove uphill in low gear then had burning smell?

I drove up a very steep hill with my 97 ford escort (over 105K miles) in low gear (as I believe is recommended) for a distance of about a mile and when I reached the top, there was a burning smell. What could that be?

Do I need to do anything about it?

I will have to make that drive probably once or twice a day for a month for work and I am scared now because I am trying to nurse my car as long as possible because I can't afford a car payment.

Thank you for all your good help.

Sorry it is an Automatic

get some one to check your transmission fluid..if it smells burnt....get it flushed and if posible ... fit an aftermarket cooler..
when going uphill just leave in drive..it will change down as required.. good luck

What do you mean "low gear" and who recommended that to you?

If it's an automatic transmission, just put it in drive and leave it.

If it's a standard, drive in a gear that you can maintain speed, but the engine isn't screaming at the top of the tach.

I don't know where you heard the car has to be in a low gear going up hill. If the car is automatic then just keep it in drive. If the car is manual then 2nd gear should be okay

Is it an automatic or a manual? This is an important consideration, as if it is a manual that smell could be the clutch burning. Was the burning smell like burning rubber, or did it smell sweet like coolant, or did it smell like burning oil? Like the previous response, the gear you should be in is whatever the maximum is for you to make it up the hill (the lower the gear, the harder on the engine due to higher engine speed). You could try to gain some speed before going up the hill so you have more momentum as well.

Do you smell it every time the car is running? Or did you only detect the odor that one time? If you noticed the smell just that once, after you drove up the steep hill, it's possible that your brake pads overheated. Not a big deal, but to be safe, since you will be making this drive repeatedly, you may wish to see if the pads need to be replaced. Hope this helps (despite the most definitely not helpful reply you left on my question this morning).