Great trip report and nice pictures, Steve. Going off trail like that by yourself sure adds a lot of adventure, but the risk makes me nervous when I do it alone. My PLB gives me a little piece of mind, but the SPOT tracking really helps manage that risk. I can imagine this was all going through your mind when you cut open your shin going cross country.
I can't figure out which Z-packs pack you have. No frame, top pocket, and padded belt? It looks like you took off the carbon fiber frame and mesh from the ArcBlast?
You only used 3 Esbit tabs out of 6. Did you not cook each night because your lighter failed, or did you intend to mix it up and only cook on some nights? I'm also wondering why the wood was wet, which caused you to wreck your lighter? (that's the most "W"s I can fit into one sentence).
