From reading most of this thread i think most of your questions are answered, but the thing i noticed was most people where talking about your bike, and not you as a rider. I grew up with a scrambler so know how its feels to ride a bike off road, but to go straight from tarmac onto off roading is very hard as they are just like opposites.
But just a few tips if you dont plan on taking any off roading lessons before you go.
Take your time, go alot slower as it will take you alot longer to react to something happening than it would if you where on tarmac. Braking distances will be massively increased and your front brake should only ever be used very lightly or your lock the front wheel and fall off (or cause bad stains in your underwear)
Your bike will move around under you as rocks, stones etc etc will try and move the bike off line, dont try and resist it just go with the flow and taking it slowly will help. If you resist it your body will become like a rigid block and you will tence up and become uncomfortable making your bike very uncontrolable
Dont grip the hand bars as if your holding onto the last pint of your life, they will not go anywhere and if you loosen your grip a bit it allows you to feel alot more of what the bike is doing and allows your to move the bike to where you want to go easier.
If doing proper type off roading stand up on the pegs and keep your knees slightly bent and elbows pointing out at right angles from the bike. This will allow your knees to take some of the bums the suspension cant and allow your arms to push and pull on the bars easier. Also this allows your bike to move around under your slighter better.
Always ride with the proper gear on, common sense i know but the amount of stories and people i have seen saying they where too warm so took there gloves off, boots etc and they wrecked there themselves is just unreal.
And dont forget to enjoy the trip dont force your self to do things you dont want to do, i no you may like the challegene of doing something and completing it but if it near kills you doing it i think that just takes the fun out of it.
