You mention "it's all about survival skills." If you find yourself in a survival situation, something has gone horribly off the rails. We don't go backpacking to stagger out of the wilderness, having somehow managed not to die one more time.

Properly equipped (here's where you need the backpacking primer) and knowing how to use the equipment, backpacking is a very relaxing and comfortable activity. Will you be tired at the end of a long day of walking? Sure - but it will be the "good" kind of tired, like you probably are when you finish a run.

There are camping skills you'll need to know (note: building a shelter from branches and setting snares for small game are not among them) - get a good book on backpacking, and/or take a course and beginner's trip from someone like the local REI or independent shop, the Sierra Club chapter near you, or the local college or community center. Or, volunteer with a Scout troop, as an assistant Scoutmaster - most troops are always looking for a second adult for a trip, or for talent to develop.

It's also not "much more dangerous" to go solo rather than with a group. You have to carry all your own gear (adds a few pounds to your load), and you have to lower your level of acceptable risk, since there's no one to go for help. But, unless you intend to do dumb stuff like climb without ropes or run down rugged trails in the dark, that's not difficult either. The biggest problem I've ever had going solo for more than a night or two is that I miss having someone to share the trip with; solitude is a personal choice, and all of us tolerate it differently.

Start with shorter trips, then just add a day or two at a time. If you have zero camping experience, then you might start by simulating a backpack trip. Go to a local park with, say 5-10 miles of trail and a public campground. Park your car at a campsite, put on your loaded pack (including 5 days' worth of food, if that's what you're working up to), lock the car, and go hike the trails. While you're out, eat lunch (maybe fix something hot, so you can practice lighting your stove), practice reading a map and finding routes, practice using your water filter, practice picking out a campsite (and maybe practice pitching your tent in a couple of those sites, so you can judge how good a site they really are), and end up back at your campsite at the public campground. Set up camp, cook, and sleep overnight. If all goes well, you've got the beginnings of "experience." If something goes wrong (you find out the tent leaks when it rains, or your sleeping bag won't keep you warm enough at its rated temperature, etc.) - you pack up, unlock the car, and go to a motel or go home.

When you're comfortable with this, head out on a real overnight, perhaps on a loop trail. Try to make your night camp about a mile or mile and a half from the car (again, if you need to bail, it's only 15 minutes to the car.) Then work up from there.