Loosen the 10mm nuts on the shifter base under the rubber cover, put it in first and tighten them back up.  If it messes up shifting into other gears, just make more small adjustments until it shifts into all gears smoothly.

Synthetic oil is also great for smooth shifting.

--- On Wed, 10/17/12, Eddie Nelson <jenchef001@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> From: Eddie Nelson <jenchef001@YAHOO.COM>
> Subject: Gear Trouble
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 9:07 PM
> While driving today, I had a bit of a
> problem with my transmission. I could not get it into 1st
> gear, I could get in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and reverse just fine,
> but first was a problem.
> Any suggestions?
>