Hah! Love the kibble idea. Hmmm, what's the equivalent of bourbon...?
To the OP, my $0.02 are to take what you shoot well and don't mind carrying. I'm not a real hiker, but I have lugged too much stuff into the Presidents for 2-3-day hikes with a real hiker and have learned that light is right. On each trip, any milliseconds spent worrying about 4-legged critters was about as productive as work stress. As far as the 2-legged variety in the White Mountains, I would've been better off buying one of those now-legal-in-MA funny cigarettes and throwing that, a lighter and a bag of chips at the 2-legged "threat" and just strolling away.
Now, the real boonies may be different, although from limited experience there, perhaps not so much. In Alaska late last summer, after hoofing it up a couple of thousand vertical up a reasonable slope to a hilltop while carrying a .45-70 Henry rifle late last summer, I felt about ready to spit a lung out. It was then that it hit me. Caribou wouldn't rut for a few months, and even a sneaky bear stuffing itself on berries would be evident from a distance far enough to avoid. So, really, I could've saved about 9 lbs and should still have been able to protect myself and the kids from whatever wolves or rabid coyotes were not present that morning with my favorite 9mm and some +P defense rounds. ...and some locally sourced standard capacity magazines.
I digress; EDC includes the letters E and D, and I get that and live it (not ED, EDC), so I might also consider bringing a nice light .22 revolver snubby. Or, maybe borrow the Mrs.'s P238, cocked and locked. That said, my last multi-day hike in NH was with a favorite folding knife, because the memory of that extra pound+ when I lugged around more weight made its mark.