I believe that the theme of this essay is that travel is defined not only by the act itself but by all of the preparation leading up to it. Keith discusses how much she loves hiking, but spends most of her essay talking about how she prepared for the hike. She loves the thrill of going alone, but must use a lot of energy to get this reward.
"I am carrying the gene for Just in Case." This is effective because it shows how important it is to her to be prepared. It is also an element of humor, since it comes after a string of items that she is physically carrying with her on her hike. She is poking fun at herself for being what some might call overly prepared.
"...I could enter wonderland alone." This is an effective ending because it shows the product of her preparation: enjoying a hike alone. It also connects back to the title and the beginning of the essay; she talks about a white rabbit and ties it to the familiar story of "Alice in Wonderland." This allusion is something that most readers can connect with, and it conveys how Keith feels about the mountains she is hiking.
I agree that the pieces is mostly about the prep for the hike. I also enjoyed the quote about the "gene for Just in Case," it is a nice humorous relief. Although Keith is very prepared, the simple fact that she is going alone shows a slight lack of preparation, and I believe part of the essay is to prove how well prepared she is on her own. I think that gives her a little "human" quality - she is very prepared and unprepared at the same time. But, as exemplified with your second quote, going alone can often be its own sweet reward, and worth the risks. One of these moments that I really liked is: "I sometimes forget that it is mostly like Earth, now" (5).
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