Ryan, Debi, and Toren Cragun's Blog

Summit Date: August 1st, around 10:30

Party: Ryan Cragun, Mark Woolley, Tom Triplett

While in Utah I did my annual hike with my two hiking buddies, Tom and Mark.  Having hiked all the highpoints within about a day’s drive of Salt Lake City, we decided to do something local this year.  Of course, it’s not like a local hike is a disappointment – lots of people fly to SLC specifically for the hiking nearby (plenty of mountains around SLC).  Mark picked the hike: Pfeifferhorn or Little Matterhorn.  Most websites say the elevation is 11,326 with a round-trip hiking distance of about 9 miles.

The trail begins at the White Pine Trailhead up Little Cottonwood Canyon, which leads to two alpine lakes: White Pine Lake and Red Pine Lake.  Mark took a picture of the trail that was posted at the trailhead:

I added the upper trail to the image, which isn’t always clearly marked.  I also added some descriptions (in red) which you can see in better detail if you click on the above image and look at it at full size.

We started hiking around 6:30.  The starting elevation according to my watch, which includes an altimeter, was about 7,400 feet.  There were other people hiking the trail, but it wasn’t overly busy.

Here we are at the beginning of the hike:

Tom and me

Mark and Tom

It’s actually a very pleasant hike up to the lower lake with scenic views.  It seemed that was as far as most of the people who were on the trail were hiking. Here’s a photo from the lower trail on the way up to the lake:

lower trail on the way to the lake

There was a guy up at the lake who had camped there the night before.  He snapped this shot for us:

Me, Tom, and Mark at the lower lake

Mark, the designated hike photographer, took some great shots of the lakes, like this one:

Red Pine Lake (the lower lake)

There were also some beautiful wild flowers just to the East of the lake along the trail.  We were so overcome by the beauty that Tom and Mark had to frolick in the flowers:

Tom and Mark frolicking in the widlflowers

From the lower lake you basically cross to the east of it then run into a rock scramble where the trail kind of ends.  If you follow the rocks up, staying to the west of the upper lakes, you’ll eventually run into a ridge that continues from the tree line all the way up to the ridge line that runs east/west.  This is definitely the easiest way to make it to the ridge, even though it is quite steep.  We didn’t see it, initially, but we saw a guy coming down that way and asked him the easiest way to make it to the ridge.  He pointed it out and it was very easy.  It’s obviously the way you are meant to go as there is a clear trail about half way up that ridge that is easy to follow.  Here’s a shot of the upper and lower Red Pine Lakes from the ridge:

the upper and lower lakes from the ridge

Once you make the ridge, you actually drop to the south of it and skirt a small peak.  This part is really easy hiking as it’s pretty level and has great views to the south of the peak.  You also get your first glimpse of Pfeifferhorn once you make the ridge.  Here’s a shot of me walking along this level part (this is actually as we were headed back down):

me walking along the fairly level part skirting the lower peaks between the ridge and the razorback

You follow the clear trail along the back or south of the ridge until you reach the razorback.  People make it out to be particularly challenging, but it isn’t that bad.  It is a rock scramble with fairly steep sides (if you fall off the north side, you’ll probably die; the south side would just be very, very painful).  But it’s pretty wide – a good 20 to 30 feet in most places – and you can go over the top or to the north (the steeper side, of course) so long as you can scramble over fairly large rocks.  There were only a couple of times that I felt like it was a bit precarious, but for the most part it is not scary.  Here’s how it looks as you approach it headed up the mountain:

the razorback just below the summit; Pfeifforhorn is at the top of the photo

That’s Tom in the photo.  On the way up, we skirted to the right or north of the razorback, avoiding the really steep pile of rocks right in the middle.  On the way back we went right over the top.  It wasn’t that challenging.  What is daunting at this point, however, is the last push up the summit.  You can see some green along the ridge up the summit.  That’s basically where the trail runs.  It looks really steep and, well, it is pretty steep, but it’s not terrible.  Also, we had read that the last push is about a 700 foot elevation gain.  After we crossed the razorback, I checked my altimeter and it said about 10,300 feet.  That seemed about right assuming the summit is just over 11,000 feet.  About 20 minutes later, we were at the top.  It actually isn’t as bad as it looks.  My altimeter read 10,600 feet at the top.  I’m guessing there is something wrong with my watch, but based on my readings, the last push is closer to a 300 foot elevation gain, not 700 feet.

We spent about an hour at the top enjoying the view, eating, and snapping photos:

Tom, Mark, and me at the summit

me and Tom on the summit

Another group of about 5 guys arrived on the summit just after we did and left just before we did.  There were a few flies and there was a chipmunk on the summit trying to raid our food, but it was actually quite pleasant and the view was great.

Here’s a shot of Mt. Timpanogos to the south:

peaks to the south

We got back to the parking lot without incident at around 1:30.  So, it took from 6:30 to 10:30 to summit; we spent 1 hour on the summit; it took 2 hours to descend.  Our total time was about 7 hours on the mountain.

We were tired, of course, by the time we got to the car, but we were not as exhausted as we’ve been in years past.  This was about the perfect level of hike for us – challenging but not insane.

I mentioned a while back that I switched all of our computers (currently 5) to Linux (Ubuntu, to be specific).  I was committed to making the transition this time and have spent quite a bit of time becoming more proficient with the operating system.  I wouldn’t say I’m a Linux expert, by any means, but I’m starting to feel comfortable using it (only took about 3 months).

The OS is actually pretty remarkable in a lot of ways.  Yes, there still aren’t any good text recognition or video editing programs for the OS.  And, if you play computer games, you’re probably still going to need to boot Windows.  But it has some features that absolutely rock.  For instance, no drivers!  If you’ve ever reformatted a computer and had to track down all the drivers from the manufacturer, you’ll know it can be a pain in the butt.  Linux takes care of all that for you. I haven’t had to mess with any drivers.

I just learned of another characteristic of Linux that has sold me on the OS.  It requires a little background, but here’s the skinny.  I have a proclivity to put a computer through its paces and I like trying out all sorts of software.  In the 3 months I’ve been running Linux I must have installed over 100 different software packages and uninstalled that many as well, trying various things.  In the process, I must have ended up corrupting something (which Linux is usually pretty good about fixing).  As a result, a feature of the OS that I use quite regularly and that is key to the OS’s functionality stopped working (CompizFusion).  I tried fixing it for several hours, but had no luck.  So, I ended up deciding that I would simply reinstall the OS and start from scratch.  Here’s where Linux trumps Windows: Total reinstall time with reformatting: 2.5 hours.  Granted, that’s not to 100% functionality, but it’s pretty close (I have a few additional programs to install, but I use them rarely enough that it can wait).  Reformatting and reinstalling all the programs I used regularly on Windows took about 5 hours by the time I switched.  Thus, switching to Linux has saved me time on the reformatting front as well.  As an expert reformatter (like I said, I have a tendency to put computers through their paces), this is a big selling point for me.

Reformatting also gave me a chance to redo some of the things that it took me a while to figure out the first time around.  I figured I’d document these things both for me for future reference and for anyone else interested in how to accomplish these tasks:

• How to automount internal NTFS drives
• Activating or Enabling USB Support in Virtualbox
• How to Backup a Virtualbox Hard Drive (Note: You only need to back up the hard drive, not anything else)
• How to Install Galleon (Tivo Desktop replacement for Linux) on Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty
• How to Allow Copy Protected DVD Playback

One of the great features of Tivo (and one of the reasons why we won’t switch to a different PVR) is that you can transfer shows to your computer.  This is great for teachers as you can find shows and copy them to your computer to then use in class.  Alas, switching to Linux meant I would either have to emulate Windows and use that to run the Tivo Desktop software or try out Galleon, which is similar to the Tivo Desktop software, though actually more powerful in some ways.

I opted for Galleon, but boy is it hard to install.  So, having done it a couple times now, I’m going to document it in detail so others can see exactly how this is done in Ubuntu 9.04 based on the directions from the Galleon website.

1) The first step is to install the Java JRE (version 5 or later).  If you have installed the Ubuntu Restricted Extras package, you should have the Java runtime environment already installed, so you don’t need to worry about this.  You can still check by typing the following in a terminal as root:

sudo -i

which java

You should get: /usr/bin/java or:

2) The second step is to add your network IP to the “/etc/hosts” file.  To do this you need a couple things.  First, you need to know what your in-network IP is.  Again, this is easily done using the terminal.  Just type in:

ifconfig

And you should get something like the following:

eth0     Line encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:1b:93:96:26:bc

inet addr:192.168.1.57 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

The part you need is the inet addr.  It should start with something like 192.168…  (Note: You can also get this by accessing your router and seeing what IP it has assigned to your computer.)

Once you have your in-network IP, you can use the following command in the terminal to edit the “/etc/hosts” file (it’s just a text file):

sudo gedit /etc/hosts

You’ll initially see your computer listed with the address: 127.0.1.1 (or something like that).  You need to change that to the in-network address you just found:

You can only save that file if you accessed it as root, so make sure you did.  Then save it and close it.

3) Download the Galleon zip file to your computer and unzip it to a temporary directory (doesn’t matter where, just make note of where).

4) Here’s where the directions on the Galleon site lost me completely.  You need to use the terminal to navigate to the folder where you just extracted the Galleon files (e.g., /home/USER/Desktop/Galleon), then type:

make install

You’ll then get the following:

According to the Galleon website, the application is installed under “/usr/share/galleon” and set to start up on boot.

5) You can start the Galleon server right away by navigating to “/usr/share/galleon/bin” (this is where you just installed Galleon) then type:

./galleon start

If the server is already started, it should tell you that.  If not, it will start and tell you, “Starting Galleon Tivo Application Server…”

6) Now, before you do anything else, restart your computer.  Oh, and if you believe in some sort of higher power, you may want to pray.  If not, um, well, I guess we have hope, don’t we?  Sometimes Galleon starts and connects to the server; sometimes it doesn’t.  Why or why not?  I don’t know…

7) Once you’ve restarted and made the obligatory sacrifices to the Galleon gods, try accessing the GUI.  To access the GUI (the easier way, IMO, to manage Galleon’s downloading, etc.), you can navigate using a file explorer (not the terminal) to the newly created directory “/usr/share/galleon/bin” and right click on “gui.sh” then select “Open”.  You’ll get a prompt asking what you want to do;  select “Run” and, if you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll get this:

If you don’t get any errors, you’ve done everything correctly. Woohoo!

7) Of course, to get the software to actually interact with your Tivo you need to do a couple more things.  First, now that you’re up, go to “File->Properties” and type in your Media Access Key.  You’ll also probably want to include a “Recordings Path” where files transferred from your Tivo will be stored.  Before you do anything else, go to “File->Exit” to save your settings in the configuration file.

8) If everything is working, you can click on “File->ToGo” and look around to see if Galleon has connected to your Tivo.  If so, you should see your Tivo and then look around for what’s on it (see pic below).  If it works, lucky you – you made the correct sacrifices to the Galleon gods.  If not, well, your sacrifices were apparently insufficient to appease the Galleon gods.  You can try again, you poor sod, but who knows if it will actually work ’cause the Galleon gods may simply not like you!

9) You’ll probably want to install some Apps as well. To do that, click “File->New App”.  You can add a variety of Apps.  I usually install the Music, Photos, and Go Back apps.

10) The final test is to go to your Tivo with your Linux box on, go to the list of recorded shows, and scroll down to the bottom of the screen.  If you see something like “Desktop” or something to that effect, you’re Tivo is communicating with your computer and you can transfer shows.  It’s something akin to a miracle.  Go offer another sacrifice (or maybe make a donation to the Galleon programmers) and pray that nothing breaks the magical bond between your Tivo and your computer.

While Ubuntu does about 95% of what I need my OS to do, there are a few things it doesn’t do (or at least doesn’t do well).  I occasionally need to recognize the text of documents.  There are a few programs for this for Linux OSes, but they all suck – really, they do.  Since I had this software under Windows, I’ve resorted to running Windows in an emulator, Virtualbox (which is free from Sun for home users), and running my text recognition software in that OS (I use Omnipage 16, which is pretty good).

As for how to set up Virtualbox in the first place, I give basic instructions for the non-free version below.  But the focus of this post is one feature of Virtualbox that is not particularly intuitive and I have a hard time remembering how to do it every time I need to, so I’m going to write up how it is done so I remember and so others can see how this is done.

Because I’m scanning into Omnipage, I need Virtualbox to recognize my USB ports and pass them on to the emulated OS – Windows XP – so Omnipage can recognize my scanners.  This is possible, but requires a bit of know how.

1) You can’t use the version of Virtualbox that ships with Ubuntu.  That version is called the “free” version, but it is really just the version that is compatible with the “free software” licenses and philosophy of Ubuntu.  You actually need the “free for home users” version available from Sun here (also called the “non-free” version).  The easiest way to install this is to add the virtualbox download location to your list of repositories in the Synaptic Package Manger (System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager).  All you need to do is find the line that matches your OS version, copy it, and paste it into the repositories list in the Synaptic Package Manager.  For example:

deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/ jaunty non-free

For those who don’t know what I’m saying, here are a couple of screenshots to help:

Open the Synaptic Package Manager and, at the top, click on “Settings->Repositories”:

This will open this window:

Select the “Third-Party Software” tab.  Then click on “Add…”  You’ll get this window:

Now, that line you copied from the Virtualbox download site, paste it here and hit “Add Source”.  Once you do that, you’ll see that there is a new line under the “Third-Party Software” tab:

Close that window and you’ll be back to the main window of the Synaptic Package Manager.  Now, click on the “Origin” button on the lower left and you can see all the packages available based on the repository:

Select the line that says “download.virtualbox.org/main” and you’ll see “virtualbox” listed there.  Select the latest version and then hit “Apply.”  Voila, you have Virtualbox installed.

2) The second step, in order to enable USB support, is to add your “user” to the Virtualbox “group”.  I don’t know enough about Ubuntu/Linux to know what’s going on here other than to assume that this is security related.  But this part can be a pain in the butt.  The easiest way I found to do this is to use the terminal.  Type the following in the terminal, replacing “USER” with your user (whatever you use to log in to Ubuntu):

sudo adduser USER vboxusers

If you want to check to see if you have been added to the “vobxusers” group, you can do this by going to System->Administration->Users and Groups.  Click on your user and then click on “Properties”.  A new window will pop up.  If you scroll to the bottom, you should see a check next to “Use Virtualbox”:

3) It is important at this point to log out, then log back in.  If you don’t do this, these directions won’t work.

4) Now, start Virtualbox.  Again, I’m not going to give you directions for setting up a virtual machine in Virtualbox.  You can read the Virtualbox documentation for that.  I’m just going to cover the one aspect that I intended to cover in this post: USB support.

A note about Virtualbox is important here.  You can’t change the settings for a virtual machine unless you “shut down” that machine.  That means you can’t just “save the state” of the machine and then try to change the settings.  You have to shut it down, then you can click on the “settings” button.  So, once you’ve got your virtual machine set up and shut down, click on the “settings” button:

5) Now click where it says “USB”.  You’ll get this window:

Simply click on “Enable USB Controller” then click on “Enable USB 2.0 (EHCI) Controller)”.

Then, click on the top button on the right (with the blue circle).  This is an empty filter.  You don’t need to name it anything at all, just add it.  Then hit “OK”.  There you go, it should work.

Now, start your virtual machine, and at the bottom right you should see a little USB icon.  If you right click it, you should be able to pass anything connected to your Ubuntu machine’s USB ports through to the virtual machine:

A couple of notes:

First, if you install the Virtualbox Guest Additions, you don’t have to send your USB mouse and keyboard through to the virtual machine – they will work fine between the Linux OS and the emulated OS.  In fact, if you do click on the box to send them through, what will happen is that they will stop working in the Linux OS and will only work in the emulated OS, so don’t do it.

Second, if you have a printer that worked under Windows but doesn’t work under Linux (e.g., the HP LaserJet 1000, which apparently has the world’s worst driver), this is a good but cumbersome way to get that printer to work.  Yeah, you basically have to send everything through to the Windows OS using the networked folders, but you can get your printer to work this way.

For most new users of Linux, automounting an internal NTFS drive is probably not a concern as you’ll just have one hard drive and it will be reformatted to either EXT3 or EXT4.  But for people who dual boot Windows and Linux, like I do, being able to mount the NTFS formatted drives in your computer under the Linux operating system is often very important.  While Windows won’t recognize EXT3 or EXT4 formatted drives, Linux does play nice and will recognize the NTFS drives.  However, it does not automatically mount them.  It automatically recognizes them and makes it easy to mount them, but unless you add some functionality, it won’t automatically mount them, making them regular drives.

So, if you want to automatically mount NTFS formatted drives in Linux, here’s how (based on this site):

1) Make sure Ubuntu recognizes your drives.  You can do this by simply opening your “Computer” from the “Places” menu.

2) You should see your NTFS formatted drives, but they will not be mounted (they will be missing a little upwards facing arrow that indicates they are not mounted):

3) Make sure your system is fully updated by typing the following in a terminal:

sudo aptitude update

You can also do this by selecting “System->Administration->Update Manager”.

4) Then open a terminal and type:

sudo aptitude install ntfs-config

You can also do this using the Synaptic Package Manager “System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager”.

5) Now go to “System->Administration->NTFS Configuration Tool”.

6) Once the new window opens, click in the box next to the drive you want to automount, then hit “Apply”.

(Note: You can change what the drive is called by clicking where it says “<Click here to set a mount point>” and giving the drive a name.)

7) You’ll get one more prompt before you’re done, a window asking you if you want to:

Enable write support for internal device

Enable write support for external device

I selected both of them.  Then hit “OK”.

That’s it.  Now, whenever you start your computer, the drives should automatically mount.

For people used to Windows, your newly mounted drives should pop up on: (1) the desktop, (2) in your places.  But if you want to see where they are relative to your File System, go all the way to the root folder (mine is simply “/”) and look under “media”.  Inside the media folder you should see all of the mounted drives except the one that is running Ubuntu (your boot drive).  All the other drives are accessible from that location.  This is particularly good to know in case you use a different file explorer, like Krusader.

Something else I’ve noted using NTFS drives under Ubuntu… While the drives do automatically mount and you can read and write to and from the drives once you’ve done the above, Ubuntu does not have the ability to delete files from NTFS drives like it does from EXT3 or EXT4 drives.  What I mean by that is that, when you delete something from one of those drives, Ubuntu does not put the files in the trash, allowing you to recover the files later.  If you delete it, Ubuntu will show a prompt telling you that it will delete it forever.  So, be careful when it comes to deleting stuff from those drives because they are gone for good.