I've started the research for the trip with my number one concern for any trip: Maps. I don't usually take one with me for my bushwhacking because I follow watercourses but I'm comfortable with them. I've taken map reading classes (one of the benefits of working for a park district) and I can "see" the terrain if I peer long enough (I think of them as those hidden image 3D pictures). But all of that means nothing when it comes down to brass tacks. Looking at a topo without having actually seen the terrain is like saying Manhattan is easy to drive in because the streets are laid out in grids. So, I'm obsessing. The Backpacker (hereafter: BPMag) trip planner has the topos you need from the USGS listed, and National Geographic seems to be a good choice, too (according to ADKForum posts). But I need to make sure (for my own OCD) that I have the right maps. And unless I'm able to walk into a store, pick them up and look at them to see that they are what I want, I tend to obsess. And I get upset when I can't get the ones I need/want. Luckily, my wife knows I need maps (I still have bus routes/schedules from a 2004 Seattle trip) and when she walked into the dining room, saw what I was trying to do and heard me say 'I'll be spending $30 on real maps' she didn't get upset. But she did roll her eyes a little. Maybe it's just me but printing the BPMag maps seemed rather....annoying. 
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