I hike and camp in the same area as you (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana), and have assembled my gear specifically for our area. Some of those area-specific choices (since it's hot and humid most of the time, and winters are mildish) include a preference for as much mesh as I can get in a tent, very little clothing (and lighter winter layers), and supper as my only cooked meal.

As a general recommendation, if you're looking for an easy way to get started, you can't go wrong with MSR gear and Deuter or Granite Gear packs. This isn't saying it's the "best" gear out there, since "best" means different things to different people, but it's good quality, easy to use, not overly pricey, reasonably light, and durable. It simplifies your choices from 50 packs down to about 5, 30 stoves down to about 3, etc.

Send me a private mail with your email address, and I'll be glad to send you my gear list(s) if that will help you get started.

I've been traveling the last couple of weeks - did they get the Red River Gorge area opened back up yet after the bear incident?