I just moved to a place where it gets pretty cold and I decided to take up hiking, but

[Texas Rocks my socks off!]

what to bring? I'm going to stick to the pretty basic trails (at least for now), but I'm going to be going alone sometime, so I want to bring along a survival kit of sorts in case something bad happens and I'm stuck by myself. What do you suggest I put in there?

Also, do you know any tricks to make sure your feet don't get sweaty while hiking? Gross I know, but hey...