I promised myself I’d never do this route again after the pain last year but I had some free time for the holiday and wanted a hard challenge that wasn’t too sketchy or navigation heavy. I got permission from the National Park Service to cache water in the Murphy area so the idea of a self-supported White Rim was born. This helped cut down on the weight a lot, but I still had a really heavy pack carrying all my food, extra layers, and 6.5+ liters of water at a time. On Wednesday I hiked down into the canyon from the Murphy trailhead to leave two gallon jugs near the trail. I climbed back up just in time for sunset, made some ramen, and camped at the Cowboy campground. I decided to leave the bulk of my water for the 50-mile section to Murphy there and drive 12 miles down the gently graded road to the upper mineral bottom trailhead. I ran that section with a much lighter pack before filling up and setting off toward the park. The first part of my day was really busy. I had a lot of cars pass. Some people asked questions, offered water or to take some of my trash early on. I thought I had plenty at the time so I declined. I was really feeling pretty good all day. But when I stopped around sunset to change into warmer layers I noticed I was really low on water. I had really foolishly mixed electrolyte concentrate just before realizing this so my “real” water was only about .7 liters to get me through the next 12 or so miles. That was a major error that was totally avoidable considering all the cars that were passing and offering help. I also didn’t bring my filter since it’s clogged and I need to buy a new one. Ugh. I did manage to get to my supply, drinking a good liter or so and filling up my bladders (I also carried out the jugs in my pack). I did struggle a little because of the lack of water and had some nausea needing me to take a few breaks. But I did end up improving my time! And finishing with that Mineral Canyon climb was pretty hard but also kind of epic. All in all no regrets!