Hey Carl,
I didn't bring up the roped climbing example to change the subject but rather to highlight the mindset used for modern, minimalist LNT campers. A modern LNT camper bets their life on their gear in the same way as rock climber trusts their rope or harness.
You asked how somebody like me deals with issues when below treeeline, so I'm trying to answer you, not convince you. I'll discuss how I use the various parts of my kit (some shown in that picture). For each and everyone of them, you can dismiss them and ask, what I would do that item were to be lost or broken?
The answer is just the same as when we ask the woodsman what happens when he looses or breaks his big fixed blade. First, don't loose it. Second, have good enough skill and technique to minimize the chance of breaking it. And third, select gear that is well proven and unlikely to break, even when you screw up.
If we all here are knife nuts (and I certainly consider myself one), it is fair to say that LNT campers are gear nuts. They obsess over all or most of their gear like we obsess over our knives because their safety relies on it.
You may not be convinced and that is certainly your right. I will only add that thousands upon thousands of people use these techniques every year and in lousy conditions and harsh environments, so I don't see it as credible any longer to say they are unsafe.
SHELTER - I always carry at least one form of shelter (emergency bivy), usually 2 (tarp or tent) and when snow camping or in crappy weather 3 (full bivy to be used under a tarp). A worst case scenario for me is a day hike in which a hiker goes down injured, forcing us to provide emergency shelter overnight. Building a shelter is practical in New England only at lower elevations below 2500' and even then, is an incredibly time and calorie consuming effort. Better to just use an emergency bivy to create a "wolf den" type debris shelter, which doesn't demand tools.
SLEEP SYSTEM - A sleeping pad is used to insulated from cold from below. The picture I provided was taken in October, which is about the last time I'll rely on an inflatable pad. I can easily rely on a combination of my pack and extra clothing to survive a night with a failed pad without needing to resort to making a bough bed. Also, bough beds aren't really something we can rely on at lower elevation below 2500' since those are hardwoods like maple and beech. Starting in December I'll add a closed cell pad which, while bulky, can't be destroyed by crampons or ski edges.
I always carry my sleeping bag in a compactor bag, rain or shine. This is to ensure that even a dunking in a river won't soak the bag. On winter day hikes or day skis, a single 20f bag will typically get carried as a part of community gear.
STOVE - For the LNT camper, the stove is the fire. The limitation is how much fuel the party can carry, but it's pretty easy to carry enough fuel for trips up to a week long. Realistically, I don't do trips longer than that and for long distance hikers, they resupply fuel just as they resupply food.
The stove in the picture is a Trangia alcohol stove which has no moving parts. The other stove I'll carry in the winter is the Svea 123, which I think is the most reliable white gas stoves. I've never had this stove fail to light and function in 30 years of use. I carry a spare fuel cap, as it is about the only thing that could conceivably need to be field serviced.
I should mention that I find cooking with wood to be something that adds risk when doing big miles in cold wet conditions. It's not uncommon to get to a camp cold and tired and harvesting and processing wood requires additional calorie output and involves sharp objects. With a stove, I can have hot drinks available for team members in a matter of a few minutes and have had to do that on a few occasions when a team member was beginning to slide into the long stare zone.
CLOTHING SYSTEM - My approach to clothing, particularly in the wet shoulder seasons is very much inspired by the Buffalo Clothing Pertex and Pile systems from Scotland. Chris Townsend writes about it in his very good book. In this approach, it is assumed that all of your trail clothing will be we while you are hiking. The trick is focus on staying warm while on the trail, not dry.
Dry camp clothing is kept with the sleeping bag in a water tight bag and not used until shelter is established. I've twice been on winter trips on which a team member went into a river, one to his hips the other to his knees and both times, filling their boots. Temps both times were around 0F. Beating/wringing out the clothing and staying moving is sufficient and will, in short order, wear the clothing dry enough.
Regarding books and multiple versions, the way I heard story is the Fletcher was happy to write a single version but then went to a knife show and ended up drinking with that Levine feller.
About that "front porch", Steve is right, it's tent platform which is common in the Whites. That one is about 4 miles from the trailhead (Ethan Pond) and at about 3000', well in the boreal forest. They are used to concentrate and minimize impact at established backcountry campsites. It turns out that they are generally a lot colder than the ground due to the cold air under them.
