In an exclusive revelation, the Bellrose family from Montana have spent the past five years living in a camper van perched on one of the state's highest mountains, confronting daily threats from grizzly bears, wolves and cougars in one of the world's most isolated environments.
Life on a Knife Edge in Montana's Wilderness
Brandon, 61, and Alisa, 43, along with their children Alayah (21), Trinity (16), Brae (14) and three-year-old Tristan, have made their home 2,500 metres up a Montana mountain that stands twice as high as Britain's Ben Nevis. Their extraordinary story features in tonight's episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild on Channel 5.
"When we first arrived we saw wolves every day," Brandon reveals. "It's a remote and unforgiving environment. When it snows, we have to scrape it off the roof of the RV every day or it could crush us and kill us. There are mountain lions too."
From Vegas Showgirl to Mountain Mother
The couple's journey to this extreme lifestyle began when Brandon, originally from rural Illinois who ran an off-road experience company in Las Vegas, met Alisa, a Texas-born real estate agent turned showgirl. After marrying, they left Nevada to pursue their shared dream of wilderness living, criss-crossing America for sixteen years before settling on their Montana mountain.
Their daughter Alayah's former boss at a local grocery shop expressed the community's disbelief: "Your father is mad - he's going to get you all killed. Nobody has lived up there for 200 years."
Surviving Extreme Conditions
The family relies entirely on solar power and forest wood for heat and electricity, with water sourced from a nearby well that freezes in winter, forcing them to either hike thirteen miles or melt snowfall. "In the winter it takes two hours to heat up a bucket of snow for a hot shower," Alisa explains.
Winter brings particular challenges, with the family sometimes snowed in under fourteen feet of snow. "Sometimes you just want to go down to the town and buy a chocolate bar, but you're snowed in," Brandon admits.
Homeschooling and Health Emergencies
With the nearest town a considerable distance away, the children are homeschooled, with Trinity teaching herself astronomy under the mountain's exceptionally clear skies. Four years ago, the family faced a terrifying health emergency when Brae suffered an asthma attack they couldn't control.
"We had to call a helicopter out to take him to hospital," Brandon recalls. "It landed on a frozen lake up here, and we're so high up they couldn't land. They circled for an hour to burn off some fuel - they worried that the air was so thin they wouldn't be able to take off again."
Alisa, who was heavily pregnant with Tristan at the time, adds: "Thankfully he was fine, but it was a bit of a wake up call that living up here so remotely can have its challenges. That was quite frightening."
Establishing Territory and Future Dreams
Remarkably, the family have established a territorial boundary around their RV that keeps wild animals at a safe distance. "Bears used to walk past the RV everyday, and every time we went out we had to take a rifle," Brandon says. "But now, they give us a couple of acres of space. We don't take guns out anymore unless we're venturing further afield."
Despite the hardships, the Bellroses cherish their time together, engaging in skiing, white water rafting and mountain biking. "We came up here to play," Brandon emphasises. "We didn't come up here to be survivalists, we came up to enjoy life - it just turns out that sometimes we get stranded and spend months by ourselves."
Ambitious Plans for Their Mountain Home
The family have ambitious plans to develop their plot, dreaming of building a restaurant and creating a natural skiing area for holidaymakers. "Alayah is a chef, and she currently works down the mountain," Brandon explains. "But the dream is to have our own place up here, and she would run the kitchen. It's such a beautiful place - we would love to share it with others."
Alisa reflects on their journey: "It's been an incredible journey so far. We're very excited for the future - there's so much beauty and possibility up here."
Their story continues in Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild tonight on Channel 5, available afterwards on catch-up services.
