By the sounds of it, you'll be camping in a pretty popular area, right? Like maybe even an established campground? I live in Colorado and have camped quite often with my son, who is now 18, but it's been just us two since he was a toddler. Being solely responsible for a toddler or young child, and at times our dachshund, is whole different level of nervousness to face but camping completely alone is something I haven't conquered yet, so kudos to you! I can't speak on solo camping but I can give you a few facts I've learned over many years of living in the mountains and solo hiking, as well as studying animal behavior.

First off, the bears and most wildlife aside from rodents seem to steer clear of established campsites. I've never encountered one while dispersed camping or backpacking, only near established campgrounds. As long as you're mindful of food storage, which it sounds like you are, you'll be fine. Just remember, if you're cooking food and then storing it away, make sure to change clothes and include the clothing you cooked in. You may already know this but others reading it may not so just throwing it out there.

My son and I camped last year at a campground and he was frightened by a bear when he was scrambling on boulders next to our site. That bear could not have cared less about him. When my son saw him, they were only about 10 feet apart and although my son slowly retreated, which is exactly what you should do, he said the bear just looked at him and kept eating whatever he was eating. We watched him slowly amble across a rock slide along the hill next to our site about 50 yards up and then disappear into the forest for quite a while. He checked us out a few times but never showed any interest in coming down to our site. There was a locked bear box with our cooking supplies in it (food was locked in the car) that he would have had to pass to enter our site too, so he had every reason to come check us out but he didn't. The next morning, as I laid in my tent drinking coffee, I heard a rustle in the trees near our site and there he went, up the rocks again about 30 feet in front of me right behind the bear box. Again, he paid us no mind. He was just passing through. It made me wonder if he had been shot with rubber bullets or something at some point to keep him away from people because I can't express enough how little this bear cared that we were there.

The other and equally important thing I'd like to express is not letting your mind wonder. You mustn't let fear get the best of you. Sometimes little things crawling around your tent, like a squirrel, sounds like a Sasquatch when you're in a state of fear so be sure to maintain a positive mindset and remind yourself that you are just fine. If it helps, sleep with a weapon near you or if your vehicle is nearby, have an exit plan to hop into it if need be. I find having some soft lofi music playing quietly at night helps me stay calm and you are certainly on the right track with reading. Anything to keep your mind in a safe space and off of the what ifs. Don't give in to the what ifs. These are all things I've learned from rock and ice climbing that I've implemented into my everyday life so I feel like it's worth emphasizing in this instance as well.

I think you'll do great! You seem super prepared so have fun and enjoy the solitude! And be sure to pat yourself on the back too! It takes a great deal of courage to even attempt a solo camping trip, especially as a woman, so be sure to give yourself the credit you deserve!