State’s Hall of Fame to add 4 inductees
Shawn Forry and Justin Lichter were the first to hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail in winter. Ned MacKay has volunteered 7,500 hours on trails in Bay Area parks, often helping people find their way.
But it is Chris Korich of Oakland who was the top vote-getter in this year’s election for the California Outdoors Hall of Fame, as he was named on 83 percent of the ballots among past winners.
Korich won his 12th gold medal at the World Flycasting Championships in 2016, yet in his eyes, the crowning moment was that he coached the youngest gold medalist, 12year-old Maxine McCormick.
Korich, MacKay, Forry and Lichter will be inducted at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sacramento International Sportsmen’s Exposition, which starts a four-day run Thursday at Cal Expo.
Anybody can nominate a candidate for the Hall of Fame. The award is based on a vote of past winners and leaders in the outdoor industry, media and government, free of faction.
All candidates must fill two requirements: They have to have inspired thousands of Californians to take part in the great outdoors and/or conservation, and they must have taken part in a paramount scope of adventures.
An interactive website for the organization will go live this month.
Here are this year’s inductees:
Chris Korich
He is considered the greatest casting coach in the world. His life achievement came in 2016 when he mentored McCormick, the youngest world champion in the history of any world sporting event, according to Korich and others who researched it. Korich has also won 12 gold medals for the U.S. in his career.
Korich is the coach of casting clubs in San Francisco and Oakland that have dominated casting competition in all phases in national and world competitions. He is sought out by casters from throughout the world, which overshadows his own abilities as a national and world-class medalist in both accuracy and distance casting for over 40 years. In addition, behind the scenes, Korich has worked with tackle designers and major manufacturers, testing and refining products for anglers worldwide. As Korich friend Fred Reicker of San Leandro wrote: “I know that Korich shares with his father (a former baseball coach) a philosophy about coaching; that is: Enable your players/ students to achieve their potential; experience with joy your God-given abilities; relish competition and test what you’ve got; and take loss gracefully, knowing that you have not been diminished as a person.”
Ned MacKay
He is one of California’s greatest ambassadors to parklands. As a 15-year member of the volunteer Trail Safety Patrol, he has spent more than 7,500 hours providing assistance of any kind to those in need, ranging from guiding them to safety, directions, water or interpretive information about parks. He is best known at the East Bay Regional Park District, where he is one of a handful to have hiked all of the district’s 65 parks. MacKay has also participated in hikes of all levels, from easy strolls to ambitious backpacking trips across Yosemite National Park and much of the Sierra Nevada, and beyond across the western U.S. With a group of friends, he has rafted rivers in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Alaska. His outreach to the public includes writing stories in many newspapers that detail park programs and natural history. While MacKay’s scope of travel ranges far, his accomplishments in the outdoors come second to him: He seeks always to help anybody in need, and in turn, he has shared his love for nature and wild places with thousands.
Shawn Forry
He and Lichter became the first hikers in history to complete the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail during winter. They faced Arctic-like conditions in the High Sierra, including extreme winds, and overcame frostbite while traversing in snowshoes, skis and boots with crampons. Utilizing ultra-light techniques, they covered more than 20 miles per day and went more than 1,700 miles without seeing another person on the trail. They completed the trek in 132 days, faster than many complete the trail in summer. Forry has hiked more than 20,000 miles through 26 states and seven countries, and his legendary status among hikers has inspired others around the world. For more than a decade, Forry has been the program director for Outward Bound California, where he has inspired confidence and leadership and developed character in youth. Attempting something for the first time requires a lot of flexibility, problem solving, determination and stubbornness.
Justin Lichter
In the past 15 years, he has hiked more than 35,000 miles. Lichter has hiked the Triple Crown — the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail. He also swam unsupported around Lake Tahoe without a wetsuit. His expeditions span the globe: Lichter developed a route from the southern Rocky Mountains to Las Vegas, traversed Iceland on foot, hiked solo and unsupported 1,800 miles through Ethiopia and Kenya (where his trip ended when he was stalked by lions), and traversed the Himalayas from Nepal to the India/Pakistan border. As a resident of Truckee, he works in the public arena as a ski patroller, coming to the aid and assistance of Tahoe skiers.