haven't hiked the apalachian trail but i've hiked/camped out god knows how many times.
keep it light. all of your food should be in cans, that way you can heat it up inside the can..... no need for an iron skillet.
matches, flashlights, a tent, sleeping bag, some sort of weapon in case you run into a large wild animal, a rain poncho, a dry set of socks in a zip-lock bag. you'd be surprised how wrong meteorologists are sometimes.....
the most important thing is telling somebody when your leaving and when to expect you back so they call if you get lost.... have fun...
