Still one more step
I have been discussing food and water on the trail - both vital elements. Another one is sleep.Sleep, on the trail makes a big difference in how many miles you do and how you feel at the end. Its obviously important every day, but is even bigger on the trail.
The traditional approach is to use a tent with a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. There are two problems with this approach for me. One is that all together the weight of the "sleeping system" becomes significant, about 5-6 pounds depending on what features you think you need. The second is, that unless you get a sleeping pad with a lot of cushion or have the cushion on your body its no where near as comfortable as your bed at home. My personal experience with a tent set-up is that I sleep very poorly, if at all and then have sore hips or legs in the morning.
The approach I have been using and I know others that like it too, is the use of a backpacking hammock. In fact I own two of them! The weight is about half of the tent system and it is overall more comfortable. I actually get sleep in the hammock and often feel so comfortable in the morning I don't want to get up. I know a hammock isn't perfect though it has its own issues like needing to sleep on the diagonal, losing heat from the bottom and needing trees for set-up. The latter isn't usually an issue especially for a trail like the N-P trail which is almost always in the woods or any of the trails I normally would consider backpacking on. The main issue with backpacking hammocks that you see in many backpacking forums is the one where heat loss out the bottom of the hammock limits the comfort on cold nights. There are solutions to that and I've had decent luck with the various things I've tried without adding too much weight back in to negate its weight saving advantage. Anyway, my main concern with my planned hikes is whether I want to invest in another hammock or modify the main one I own (a Hennessy Hammock). If the weather is reasonable then my main concerns are moot. As I expect to be on the trail in midsummer it is probably not a big deal. Still, nights can be cool in the Adirondacks, even in summer. Anyway, with my current hammock it is a little tricky to cover the bottom of the hammock from the outside (my preferred option), but with the newest Hennessy design it seems like an easier option. The older model has a slit in the bottom for entry, the new models offer a side zipper. But, I don't really need to spend a lot of money on a new hammock, so I will see as the months go by.
Just a little side note _ I use a homemade tarp to cover the hammock, in case of rain. Its made from Cuben fiber, it isn't much for looks but it works great and is as light as a feather (well almost). Anyway, last summer, in the interest of saving weight I started taking only a couple of metal stakes and using small branches as stakes instead (from the downed wood that I leave there when breaking camp). It seems to be working, so I think I will continue doing that.