Do your research, take smaller trips to acclimate yourself and build confidence in your skills and the machine, then do it. Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance.
Good advice. I sold off my KLX250 many years ago and the Trail 125 is my return to "dirt," however I've decided this time around to dial it down and not do single track, so the Trail 125 was a perfect fit. So far it's proving to be an absolute hoot and is perfect for what I want it for, which is to easily explore any dirt road and moderate road fire or logging road I come across.
With that in mind, my plan:
1. A few camping trips to sort out my gear requirements and how to best pack and haul it. I'm not a stranger to motocamping, but I've only done it before with my Tiger Explorer and I usually bring everything known to man. I need to scale back a bit.
2. After sorting out the gear, I want to do some portions of the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery route. I actually rode the Bad Eagle portion of it on my KLX back in the day, but I'd love to do something longer. It's practically in my backyard.
3. Depending on what comes out of #2, I'm either going to try the TAT someday soon with the Trail 125, OR, I'm going to bump up to something bigger like a Tenere 700 if it's truly warranted. I bought the Trail 125 with a longer trip in mind, and that drove me to want something that was simple and reliable.
So
@MeatTruck, I'd say go for it! PS, consequently I'm the same age as you, I own a travel trailer, and I just smoked ribs on my Traeger tonight. Great minds think alike!