Another to join the group of alone riders. And I too carry a phone. It's actually the one item I carry On my person rather than in my hydration pack. I want to make sure that I have every chance possible to get to it if something does happen. I also carry some basic first aid stuff in the pack for a minor spill. I've used that stuff before on a pretty good sized/depth arm scrape. And I too let my girlfriend know where I'm going before I leave.