I am thinking just like you...the police wasted alot of time on that mountain.
If Dorner has any brains at all, he doesn’t torch the truck if he’s on foot and can’t quickly leave the area. He only torches it if he’s got a quick way (vehicle) out of there.
What are the chances he “chopped” out of there?
Footprints in the snow do not disappear.
OTOH, maybe he climbed a tree (I don’t know the area) and has been watching the LAPD from above, snickering.