I have done expedition touring on a Cross Check. It was slightly noodly under heavy load but fine. A good compromise if you are only going to tour occasionally.

The compact double crank you chose is not low enough. You need to go with a 24t, or at least a 26t inner chainring. This means a triple crank, or one of the new 24-38 mountain doubles from Shimano. The 38-11 high gear combination you will have doesn't sound very fast, but in practice it will be fast enough. You'll never reach that speed on the flat. When I'm touring and see a downhill, I coast. I don't pedal to go faster. You'll only need higher gearing if you plan to ride in a road paceline.