When I discovered the outdoors and its delights, there were no options. You had to be self sufficient, because there was no trail community. It was years before I ever encountered a party on the trail who were not known personally to at least someone in our group.

What has always appealed to me about backpacking and climbing is its elegance. you need to carry everything you need, and nothing that is superfluous or unnecessary. Finding that ideal, and keeping a reasonable cushion for the unanticipated, is a surprisingly tricky enterprise.