I like to journal more when I solo. It's kind of like having a conversation with yourself and a great way to remember how you felt during the trip and fine tune your outfit for the next trip. Some stuff will be similar to your group trips but also some differents may surprise you. I enjoy the freedom of doing whatever, whenever, but miss sharing some cool stuff with friends. Example, I don't care to fish so much solo but I love to knock around exploring. When I do fish solo it's more like I'm checking to see if I want to bring friends back to that lake. I stop at campsites for the same reason.

All that safety stuff ditto. But July should be busy enough to not be too isolated. Let us know how it works out.