Bear was within easy reach of an established Forest Service road

From BearWiki

Claim: Bear was within easy reach of an established Forest Service road in the Bitterroot Range/Idaho in the Rockies episode.

The first image is a still frame from The Rockies episode when Bear is following the river downstream.[1] The second image is a photograph of the same peak taken by a local outdoorsman familiar with the terrain where this episode was shot[2]. Comparison of the two images shows unmistakably that they are taken of the same peak from almost the exact same position. This second photograph shows an established road running parallel to the river Bear was following. The Man vs. Wild cameraman must have been standing on this road when this segment of the episode was shot.

[edit] Analysis

Support: Obviously Bear was near the service road during his time, as the Rockies have many service roads. The episode (as a terrible pilot) was designed to be dramatic and exploratory, i.e. Bear didn't use the road, but instead put himself 'in the position of a lost hiker' who traveled in the wrong direction, and didn't use the road. Also, the pilot itself is terrible as the producers urged a 'dramatic monologue' by Bear detailing how a perceived bear was chasing him. Bear is not allowed to discuss the opinionated differences between the original director and himself during the shoot.

Support: Given the amount of gear the producers in the show apparently go through each episode (ropes & harnesses, PFDs, wetsuits, drysuits, bee suits), that they would need to stay near a road. Since the premise of the show is that Bear gets stranded in a popular recreation area, I would also imagine that each episode is near a road, if not a network of roads. I suspect keeping the roads OUT of a shot visually and auditorily is a major challenge in each episode.

Support: I suspect keeping out the road NOISES is an even bigger challenge. That, and keeping other people out of the shots.