San Diego Deserts & Mountains 2026 Specialist
The San Diego Tracking Team Board of Directors has approved two specialist certifications to be held in the eastern part of San Diego County centered around Borrego Springs, California on November 30-December 1 and December 3-4. Evaluators will be Marcus Reynerson and Casey McFarland. Price is $540. Terry Hunefeld is the San Diego Tracking Team coordinator for TCNA Track & Sign events.
The Specialist Dates
The first certification will take place on November 30 and December 1 and is sold out.
The second certification will be held on December 3 and 4.
Prep days led by Terry and Dick Chadwick (3 Southwest Desert Professional Certificates) will be held prior to both certifications.
Registration
TO REGISTER:
By: SDTT TCNA coordinator Terry Hunefeld thunefeld (at) gmail... (dot) com
NOTE: to register for this event, you must have a professional certification from TCNA. A 98 or 99 score may be accepted after a reasonable period of time to allow trackers with professional certificates to register. Please contact us with any questions if you are a high-level 3.
STEP ONE: First, make sure there is a spot available by contacting us and include your name, city of residence and phone (for SDTT records) and we will respond - usually within 3 hours - but certainly within 18 hours.
STEP TWO: When you receive a go-ahead clearing you to register, you will register by paying a deposit of $270 to the Venmo or PayPal account of SDTT (see below). The balance of $270 is due August 15.
STEP THREE: After paying SDTT by Venmo or PayPal, it is important to email a copy of your payment receipt to thunefeld@gmail.com immediately. SDTT is an all volunteer organization and the organizer does not have access to the SDTT accounts. The only way we know you paid is by receiving a copy of your recepit
STEP FOUR: Stand by for confirmation that you are registered - usually within a few hours. Even if you have paid, you are not officially registered until you receive a confirmation.
PAYMENT
Make your payment by Venmo or PayPal:
VENMO: SanDiego-TrackingTeam (final 4 of phone number 4102).
PAYPAL: SDTT92150
Payment by check can be arranged if absolutely necessary but Venmo is preferred and PayPal second preferred because we are all SDTT volunteers. Checks are a hassle for volunteer groups as many individuals need to be involved. Electronic payment directly into the SDTT account makes it easier for everyone and creates a permanent and easily-accessible record.
GET ON THE WAITING LIST!!
If the event you want is sold out, please contact us and request to be placed on the no-obligation waiting list. As a host for over fifteen certifications, I can assure you there are always cancellations as we get closer to the event date.
TRIP INSURANCE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Please read the following section about trip insurance. It's inexpensive and saves you the sting of an emergency cancellation. We urge you to obtain trip insurance.
The Specialist cancel policy is 100% refund if you find a replacement. We will maintain a waiting list and supply you with any contacts we have. Cash refunds are available only if you find someone to take your place.
Trip Insurance $23.04
We urge you to obtain trip insurance to avoid the sting of losing your registration fee in the event "life comes up" and you must cancel. Finding trip insurance is simple on the internet - there are many excellent companies. A good site recommended by Forbes offers you multiple options: Travelinsurance.com. A search in September 2025 resulted in $500 of coverage for only $23.04.
Should you choose not to be protected by trip insurance, please ensure you understand SDTT's cancel policy.
-- The San Diego Tracking Team
Camping Locations
& Recommended Accommodations
SPECIALIST LOCATION: The certification will be held in the East San Diego County Desert and Mountains centered around the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. Past locations include Scissors Crossing, Grapevine Canyon, Warner Springs, Lake Morena, Volcan Mountain and the Laguna Mountains.
ACCOMMODATIONS: In light of the fact that the event (and the prep days) will be centered around Borrego Springs, we recommend camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park near Borrego Springs or renting accommodations in Borrego Springs We recommend the Borrego Springs Resort, the Borrego Springs Motel or Stanlund's Inn - all listed on Booking.com. There are many other accommodations around Borrego Springs listed on AirBnB, Booking.com and VRBO.
CAMPING: Dry camping is free anywhere in Anza Borrego Desert State Park (1,000 square miles of desert wilderness). Two improved State Park Campgrounds are near the town of Borrego Springs: Borrego Palm Canyon (hookups and electric) and Tamarisk Grove (restrooms, no hookups). There are also many commercial campgrounds in Borrego Springs. We recommend Glorietta Canyon, Pinyon Wash and Inspiration Wash... all will pop up on a Google Search with the canyon name and Anza Borrego Desert. Hookup camping is available at a plethora of campgrounds when you search "Camping at Anza Borrego Desert" or "Campgrounds Borrego Springs"
