William nealy biography

“He was one of those characters like the Fonz … he was, in essence, cool. He was my inspiration.”

— author Daniel Wallace, Nealy’s brother-in-law

[Editor’s note: William Nealy was an illustrator turned outdoor-sports cult hero who mapped a host of southeastern rivers, including the French Broad, and recorded one of the first — and only — mountain-biking descents in the Smokies.

William nealy photo

This year’s Mountain Sports Festival is dedicated to Nealy, who took his own life last summer.]

It was around 1979 — the dawn of the outdoor-sports industry — and William Nealy was looking for a place to climb.

He and pal Tom Schlinkert returned to the Great Smokies Hilton following an afternoon of pub-crawling in downtown Asheville. They headed for the lobby, where a giant stone hearth offered a variety of climbing handholds and routes.

Nealy planned to clamber up the fireplace, but a huddle of guests at its base sa