I agree, Phat - I do pretty much the same routine for my wife (sans the hiking-literate buddy; only one left these days, and he's usually with me.) She might not understand it all, but the itinerary and a highlighted map I leave her can be faxed to the appropriate agency to really narrow down search areas.

I had let my first-aid kit dwindle over the last few years, but recently gave it a few more ounces of muscle (and replaced the meds and creams that had expired in 2006.) I'm like you, though; mostly, I carry only what I can use on myself in whatever condition I'm in - though I did add a couple of things for helping some other solo hiker I happen to stumble across.