So many great tips, Sue. The range and depth of your suggestions causes me to emphasize a basic requirement of preparation, something you are so adept at:

Imagine scenarios, really intently imagine them -- before they happen.

ETS members are ahead of that game or they wouldn't be here.

I've never been lost in the woods and certainly hope never to be lost. Yet I have imagined it so I could envision what I would need to have and do to survive, maintain some level of comfort and be found. Imagining it also is further incentive to prevent it from happening (carrying a map and compass) and mitigating the danger (not hiking alone, informing friends and family of the route, departure time and expected return time).

I'd bet that most if not all of the people I've hiked with over the years had given no thought to the possibility of something going wrong on the trail. That's why they marveled at the heft of my backpack (I'm typically the only one carrying First Aid, compass, etc)

I have been stranded in a car on the side of a busy highway with a narrow shoulder, so I know how scary it can be to have cars flying by at 80mph rocking your car with the wind they generate.

I haven't been stranded at night and have not been stranded in a car on a quiet backroad. There are important distinctions in those scenarios. Simply imagining it is so disturbing that I have multiple flashlights/headlamps, strobe and other flashing lights to alert oncoming motorists, as well as an array of survival gear in the car -- including water, jackets, sleeping bag and now thanks to Rebwa -- hiking boots and socks.

Those imagined scenarios are also why I keep an eye on car maintenance -- regular oil changes and other fluid checks, maintaining proper tire air pressure and adhering to the service requirements laid out in the car's owner's manual. Before a planned big roadtrip last year I consulted my mechanic and had the brake lines bled (I pull a teardrop trailer) and had a new heavy-duty battery installed (the original was nearing the end of its expected life).

Imagining the power going out in winter or summer, the water going out or being tainted (we had a city-wide cryptosporidium scare in the 1990s), sewer problems, transportation problems impeding restocking of grocery stores (such as during severe blizzards).

Women, in particular, have other dangers to imagine. I have been attacked walking home from work. I have not been attacked in my home. Imagining that is why I have many layers of security and defense. And a phone always within reach to call 911.

Next week I'm riding up to Niagara Falls with a friend (550 miles one way) to pick up her new puppy. We'll have two adult dogs with us (including my Gidget). We're taking my friend's Ford Flex. It's a plush ride compared to my Element. I'd just as soon put the mileage on her car but I'll miss the reassurance of having all the gear I keep in mine. So I'm making a list of what I should and reasonably can pack. Trying to imagine the potential scenarios of this trip.

I'm so accustomed to being prepared, it's hard to settle for less. But with her car, two adults and two dogs and a puppy -- there simply won't be enough room to carry what I usually carry.

And so ends a long rambling post.