With a fresh blanket of snow on the peaks, I decided to tackle Wilson Mountain again, but this time from the south trailhead to the north viewpoint. Matt and Derek were the victims of my sub par hike leading abilities, as I accidentally veered up a slick rock face and away from the trail. We ended up hiking up the neighboring wash for a good deal of distance (half to two thirds of the first bench) before locating the trail nearby. It is a more direct route, and relatively easy to navigate, so I would recommend it as an alternate ascent for those adventurous types (e.g. jhodlof). We managed to reach the top of the first bench and pressed on to the second bench and then the Oak Creek viewpoint. We were rewarded with a stellar view that I had in mind when we set out a few hours earlier! It was windy and cold at the viewpoint so we didn't stay for long before heading down. Without using the wash, the trip down seemed a lot longer to me! I think I liked the North Wilson route a little more than this one....south has a little better panoramic views...but north gets you up and down the first bench a heck of a lot faster!