Are there any socks you recommend? I've had good luck with Darn Tough socks, but I'd be interested in something better if available.

From my adjacent experience (ultrarunning / multi-day races), after trying a bunch of different brands, I've settled on Drymax. By far the best blister resistance! They're really good at keeping feet, well, dry, which helps a lot against chafing.

If you have particular hot spots, I'd also recommend applying some foot cream like Trail Toes. I always use it for runs over ~30km.

Merino wool socks are definitely what I'd recommend for trekking.

Socks with a high percentage of wool are amazing if you've got even remotely sweaty feet. You can be having a complete swamp in your shoes and still have warm feet.

As an anecdote, I stopped buying "normal" socks from regular clothing stores completely.

All I wear is hiking labeled socks from sports stores. Greatly reduces wrinkles even if you go for the cheap ones. (Decathlon's store brand for example, but that's EU only i think).

+1 for Compeed. A miracle bandaid.