Christina,

I know more than a few buds who have experience fighting against people who were no bigger than you, were poorly equipped, and nonetheless darned near impossible to beat.

Toughness is like sports, mostly mental. If you think you can, you can. There's plenty of 110 pounders out there who can hump an 80 lb load all day up and down the mountains eating one or two bowls of rice and a few grubs, many of whom are also female.

Exercise is about conditioning. A large part is getting your body used to physical exertion and effort. Strength is over-rated. I am 6'6" tall, weigh 250 lbs, and I have to work twice as hard as my pals at elk camp to stay up with them on the trail. I tell ya, it just ain't fair. I'm burning through the calories hiking 5 miles because of my size, and they just keep cruising along.

My only real advantage comes when I have to wrestle the dead bull elk over on his other side and then my strength, mass and leverage work in my favor. Brute force is not an efficient trait in a survival situation.

I think you made the right conclusion, use your head. It don't really take that much gear to get by, if you know how to use it all proficiently.

That said, I can still cover 100 yards up a steep slope in heavy brush quicker than anyone I hang out with. I might need an oxygen bottle at the top, but for now the power's still there. One day it won't be, and this grayback will have to relinquish his position within the tribe to a younger buck. That day ain't as far off as I would like now.