Hey fellow /out/ folks,
starting in early to mid march next year, I want to thru-hike the Appalachian trail, a ~3.500km/2,000mile hiking trail. I have hiked before, but only for 5-7 days in the alps, so long-distance trails are totally new to me.
If someone is interested, I will provied my full pack list, but right now I have a few specific questions:

1) I originally planned on taking a gas stove (I already got a Primus Mimer Duo (gas stove) from previous festival trips), but then I heard that many people use alcohol stoves since they are lighter and burn at all temperatures, while the standard gas has problems at colder temperatures (something about too much butane). But I also heard that alcohol stoves tend to be very wind-sensitive and their power output is quite low compared to a gas stove. Can anyone verify any of that?

2) If you have experience regarding long-distance trips: Could you share a few hints and tricks that might come in handy but are not so obvious to concieve?

3) Is a base weight of 9kg (20 pounds) light enough?

4) As I come from germany and I don't have any relatives/friends/whatsoever in the states I won't be able to use the "mail drop" technique to supply myself with equipment along the trail. Or would it work? My main problem here would be the sleeping bag: Mine is rated at -5°C (23°F), which is a bit too cold at the start (but I'll just dress more for sleeping then), but is said to be quite overrated when I arrive at warmer states. Most people then change their bag by sending it away and receiving a lighter bag per mail. As this is probably impossible for me: Do you think I can manage with the -5° bag for the whole trip or will it just be an ordeal in the warmer states?

Thanks for any helpful comments and advice!