NORTHEAST HARBOR – Because of the cold and the wind, we weren’t able to take the high scenic route Eric Hanson had planned for us, but Kathy Constantine and I did discover those who enter the Acadia Crossing Cross-Country Ski Race here Saturday may find themselves recording personal-best times.

The course is covered with crispy, crunchy snow which makes for a speedy ski. People using the skating technique, Hanson said, should zip right along. Even for recreational skiers like us, the course was fast.

The Acadia Crossing race, for serious skiers or recreational enthusiasts, is a must – especially if you’ve not been here in winter.

Now in its fourth year, the 15-kilometer event starts at Little Long Pond and follows the beautiful carriage roads of Acadia Park and the Rockefeller estate.

A ski tour as well as a race, more than 100 participants are expected to gather at the finish line – the Jordan Pond House parking area – where the Acadia Corporation will open the dormitory for the prerace meeting. From there, skiers will be bused to the start at Little Long Pond.

Hanson knew, when he moved here four years ago, this precious piece of the Maine coast was perfect for a ski race, a way to share the beauty of the island with cross country skiers.

“I talked to many skiers familiar with Acadia National Park,” he said, “and tried many race plans. I hiked many trails and explored all the possibilities. This course is beautiful. It offers a good starting point, and is not a super high-risk course.”

To that, Kathy and I can attest. If we negotiated part of it on a 0-degree, windy day, anyone can. The inclines are gentle for a reason. You are on carriage roads, after all, meant for horses pulling carriages. In fact, the inclines were much gentler on the way down than we expected.

Besides the three sponsoring organizations – the MDI YMCA, Cadillac Mountain Sports, and the Acadia Corp. – many individuals and other organizations are involved with the event.

The David Rockefellers give permission for estate superintendent Albert Allen to open their property for skiers. Acadia Search and Rescue personnel monitor the course to make sure no skier gets into trouble, as do National Park Rangers and community members who help register contestants.

But there is more to the Acadia Crossing Ski Race and Tour than meets the eye. Who, and what, makes it possible may surprise. Kathy and I thought the government, in the form of the National Park Service, or the local communities maintained the trails. That is not the case.

If credit were given for the fact there are cross country trails for the public at all, it would go to Dr. Bob Massucco.

Hanson considers him a “super, avid cross country skier.” That’s a conservative description of this Island dentist who has skied the world over. Nothing, he said, compares with the natural beauty of Acadia.

“It is a premier cross country area,” he said. “This is where skiing is the jewel.”

His eyes light up when he talks of the trails, and they should. Massucco grooms and maintains the trails. It is this volunteer who purchased the snowmobiles and grooming and tracking machines, and it is he who spends hundreds of hours each winter, late into the night, doing the work with help from Hanson and Dirck Bradt. Massucco has invested nearly $16,000 in machinery, and he still buys the gas.

Over the years, he has attempted to obtain outside support, but it is limited. Last year more than half of $1,125 in donations came from Friends of Acadia.

“It sure would be nice to see an outpouring of support,” he said after expressing feigned disenchantment with continuing as chief groomer.

Imagine his bemusement, in the course of grooming one day, when he encountered an indignant cross country skier.

“I came along, and there was a lady on the trail,” he said. The expression on her face was fierce. She was furious a snowmobiler was on her trail. “They think it is their private property,” he said.

She refused to budge, and he had to go around her. Little did she know, if it weren’t for that snowmobiler, she would have no trail.

Saturday’s race should go off without a hitch, but, just in case, the snow date is Feb. 13.

“This is the race where the best skiers in Maine come,” Hanson said. “But we have many recreational skiers, too. They enjoy it. They get a ride to the start and don’t have to worry about their cars. Many use it as an excuse to go for a ski. They don’t try to prove anything. They’re just enjoying the park.”