I would echo the concerns about weather, particularly the cold. You are making a big time commitment by driving in from out of state. I would suggest choosing your season, hunting area, and accommodations so you can have comfortable and restful down time at night. Cutting a hunting trip short due to freezing nights, frozen water bottles, and inconsistent sleep due to weather impacts would be less than ideal. A lot of people use small campers or heated tents for this reason. It was 8 degrees at the bottom of the mountain in my hunting area first season last year. So I believe your biggest risk is fatigue; the above are just suggestions to limit that, and keep morale up during your trip.
As far as hunting goes, I would recommend shooting your elk uphill from a forest road, and packing out the meat in 5 bags/ trips. This will be less risky to your joints. Pack weight will be less than 45 lbs this way. If you hang your meat in a tree overnight and it’s cold, it will freeze and you can take your time getting it out the next day.
I leave the bones in the quarters so the meat bag has structure and does not slump to one side during pack out. Better balance is easier.
Yak tracks or other boot traction devices will help a lot if you have to walk through the snow. Melting snow is the slickest. Last year I slipped and fell on snowy downed tree and broke my rifle stock. Hunt over. I intend to use micro spikes and winter boots now.
Get back at camp and stay there by dark. I shot an elk first season at dusk and was butchering until 10:30, above tree line, with snow and wind kicking only moderately. Staying out this late was a bad idea and I ended up with frost bite on my fingers, they swelled up, and had to cut off my wedding ring back at the camper. Should have just gutted it and come back in the morning. Could have been more of an issue if I was by myself.
Use a GPS. Mark the truck at the beginning of the day then turn it off to save batteries. Check where you are during snack breaks. It’s easy to flip over a mountain top in the saddle and end up on the wrong side if you are busy tracking prints.
Don’t put food in your tent, cooler goes in the vehicle. A bear has chewed up my cooler before when it was under my camper. They can be chased off with loud noises, I used a kitchen spoon and a plastic bowl. Save yourself this excitement by putting the cooler inside the truck. I carry my rifle when hauling quarters for this reason, likely unnecessary but it makes me feel more comfortable.
You can have a great trip by yourself, and I think you will. Stack the deck in your favor by minimizing your risk due to the weather, fatigue, and injury with good gear, good nutrition, and conservative decisions and you should have a great time.
