EAGLE -- After his father was badly injured by a falling boulder in the Idaho backcountry, an Eagle teenager did everything in his power to make sure they both made it out alive.
Charlie Wilstead Finlayson just started 8th grade at Eagle Middle School. The 13-year-old is a Boy Scout and loves the wilderness.
Last week, his survival skills were put to the test after a scary situation in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.
The teen was on a backpacking trip with his father, David Finlayson, a criminal defense attorney who lives in Utah.
The two often take such trips together.
"The plan was 12 days and we were going to just climb, fly fish a little bit, backpack," said Charlie.
A week into the trip, the two set up camp at Ship Island Lake. It's a remote area where they planned to do some climbing.
But on Monday, Aug. 17, plans changed dramatically.
"The boulder fell on him and then he kind of tumbled down like 20 or 30 more feet," explained Charlie.
While Charlie's dad was scouting out where to climb next, a refrigerator-sized boulder came loose and hit him.
The 52-year-old's left arm and leg were broken and he had a large gash on his shin. The bone was showing through.
"At first I was freaking out a little bit, but after a few minutes I kind of calmed down and thought I have to help him out and get his sleeping bag and stuff," said Charlie.
The Boy Scout did what he's been taught to do.
"You just gotta calm down and know that if you don't, it could make the situation worse," he said.
Charlie grabbed the first-aid kit the two had brought and helped bandage the open wound. He then ran a mile back to camp and grabbed sleeping bags and warm clothes.
"He was kind of getting hypothermic because he had lost so much blood," Charlie said of his father's condition that first night.
The next day, Charlie helped keep his dad fed and hydrated. The two made a slow trip back to their camp site over lots of boulders. David Finlayson dragged himself there. It took hours.
"At the end of the day, he said he was in the most pain he had ever felt in his life," added Charlie.
The teenager circled the lake checking for anyone camping nearby. It was quiet.
So, the two decided that Charlie would have to hike 13 miles the next day, by himself, to get help.
"I was saying a lot of prayers before I left," said Charlie. It was an emotional goodbye.
David wrote a note and handed it to his son so he could explain to anyone he encountered what had happened and where his dad was.
"I cannot walk so I need a rescue, unfortunately," the note read. "Please help Charlie find one for me."
As luck would have it, Charlie ran into two members of his own LDS church just three miles down the trail. They headed up to stay with his dad.
Charlie kept hiking and eventually, he found another man who ended up running the next eight miles to call for help. Charlie hiked the rest of the way out.
Because David was so far down the trail, the Lemhi County Sheriff's Office called in a helicopter crew from Montana to lift him to safety.
He's since had two surgeries and he told KTVB more will be needed.
Over the phone, David said he's still in a lot of pain, but he's so grateful for his son's courage and determination.
"He's a tough kid," David added.
The father credits his son with saving his life.
"We feel blessed that Charlie wasn't hurt, we're sad for David and hope that he'll recover alright," added Charlie's Mother, Katie Wilstead.
She says she's not surprised by Charlie's actions.
"It's just who he is. It's nothing I did. It's how he came," she said.
Charlie says he and his dad are already planning their next trip, but this time, they'll pack a radio in case they need to call for help.