Glorious insanity......the conditions not the gearing.
The only issue with 1x9 is the cross chaining. I can certainly see doing long tours with a 36t or 34t chain ring and a 12/36 cassette. I run a 1x6 freewheel on my around town bike and I've ridden from London to the North East of England on a single speed using 67".....I actually had a bail out ratio of 38" for some steep climbs over the Moors, but I just used 2 gears the entire tour. Sometimes it's fun to challenge yourself to see what you can do with less.
I have a date with my bike mechanic to try and diagnose the faint sensation of vibration in the bottom of my cassette (currently 32, soon to be a 36). Is that cross-chaining I'm feeling? It wasn't so bad that I felt like I should stop, but it was noticeable at slow speeds.
I also noticed my bar-end shifter pulling itself down. I chalked it up to accidental bumps, but maybe I'm pulling the derailleur arm with my chain...?
Good things to diagnose. If anyone has ideas, do tell- otherwise, I'll let you know what the shop thinks.