Your phrase "section hike" made me think of the AT for some reason, so my comments are kinda directed to that.

Concerning clothing...well, folks have talked about that already. Typically I'll only take along a pair of baselayer bottoms, hat, light gloves, and an insulating top. My preference is something with a zipper so I can fine-tune my temp while sitting around, but that's just me. I personally like the luxury of that third pair of socks for sleeping only; one pair that stays in the bag, one pair on my feet and one dry spare for wet/funky socks.

Shelter...even if you're indeed hiking the AT(my assumption), I'd still bring along at least a light bivy (Eqinox makes an 8 oz. one for pretty cheap by comparison) to protect your bag from splash. The shelters might be crowded, you might not make it to one, or you might just decide to spend a night out in one.

The food is about as individual as the hiker...personally, were I in your situation I'd opt for instant or freezer-bag cooking type stuff and leave most of the fresh fruits and veggies, with the knowledge that every week or so I'm going to stop at a trail town and do my damnedest to find a buffet and put them out of business But that may not be your style, and either is OK.

Navigation...the AT is so well travelled and marked that most of the navigation stuff is unnecessary. If I were going to take one thing, it would be a simple compass instead of the GPS.

Hope this spurs some thinking...but again, I just kind of assumed (for really no good reason) that you're talking about a section hike of the AT. If you're looking at some other trail, some of the above goes right out the window. Just use thy good sense!