I will say, out west here there are lots of trails to great places to see and to camp, often they form a loop so you don't have to cover the same ground twice. If you only go in a mile, you can certainly beat the crowd and you should be able to carry about anything. Most of the weekend trips I take are on the 10-15 mile range so I can enjoy the countryside more and enjoy camping out with what I can comfortably carry. I would never hike without a map, compass, knife and water. In Arizona we usually have to carry water for the entire trip, just isn't much water available in some areas.
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No, I am not Bear Grylls, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night and Bear was there too!