I often carry, but I also go with the mindset that I would do my best to not put myself into a situation where it would be necesary to take those kind of actions. There's not a whole lot in the maine woods to be afraid of, but there are those ocassions... So when I got into the woods I carry something with a bit of power to it. When I do urban caching I usually carry something a lot smaller. But I prefer carrying a large bag of common sense over a firearm. (but the firearm is usually there as a last resort)
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.