Very slippery and fell three times the ridge in the photos below. Needed to put away sticks and use my hands.
Stretching and tweaking my foot patterns have eliminated most of my pain. I did not solely pick up this knowledge on my own. For example, I figured out how to hold my treeking poles correctly through Longfish. On the trail (life in general too), one needs to keep an open mind. When learning any any new thing, become inferior, dependent on that such knowledgable individual and you will learn faster than those who approach a new thing with a sense of superiorness…smuggness may be the better word. Some more common sense, but important because people can sometimes forget how to learn, be dependent on one for new knowlege. Anyway, I asked countless people, heard as many people out as I could out on the IT-band issues I had been having and now stretch three times a day every day. I also received some amazing advice from a ridge runner by the enterence of the Smokies. He said while going down hill to take the weight away from the knees, to use the ball of my foot instead of going down landing heel first. By landing on balls of your feet, the pressure is absorbed based on the spring like motion I do not completely understand landing on the front your foot. The advice certainly helped. I can even go faster down hills now, which used to be the part of the hike a week and more ago I dreaded.
Really foggy in a couple places today. 
Past the 300 Mile Marker today!!!
