Abandoning the reasonable plan to follow the river to civilization

From BearWiki

Claim: Bear wisely starts to follow a river, then inexplicably leaves for high altitude.

Let's ignore for now that Bear was pretending to be lost in a "crowded" area. In most areas, heading downriver is a good way to find civilization, as Bear notes. Inexplicably, he breaks with his plan and heads up toward the tree line.

[edit] Analysis

following the river isn't always the best way to go. that river could wind through miles and miles of inhospitable wilderness before ending up anywhere near a population center. climbing to the highest point you can get to allows you to survey the area from a good vantage point. hiking to the highest point and waiting til nightfall would show you any campfires or distant towns. might be a better way to go than just following the river. my opinion.

Support: Traveling along a river and finding a high point are two different stages in a survival plan. Ideally, the survivor would FIRST find high altitude to get bearings, THEN move to an area where rescue is more likely. Both things Bear did in this episode would have made sense if he did them in the reverse order.