JACKMAN – Carl Stoddard of Rockland packed some belongings and overnight bedding in a small duffel bag and two silver trash bags Wednesday and headed for Jackman.

Stoddard, 57, hoped to be one of an estimated 10,000 protesters expected to converge in Quebec City Friday and Saturday to demonstrate against the Summit of the Americas, an international free trade conference.

He spent the night Wednesday with a group of 30 other protesters at a snowmobile club, sharing stories, laughter and chili. “This is my first attempt at any sort of protest,” Stoddard said.

The summit will bring together trade ministers and heads of state, including President George W. Bush, from 34 nations to create a free trade zone that would expand the North American Free Trade Agreement to encompass the entire Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Cuba.

It is being protested by many civil, environmental and union organizations, including the Maine Global Action Network, which provided the gathering place for Stoddard and his traveling partners.

But on Thursday morning, Stoddard was the first protester denied entry into Canada by border officials, based on a 32-year-old conviction for operating under the influence. Clutching his trash bags, Stoddard was escorted from the Canadian border station, 100 yards to the American side of the border.

“Think of me,” he shouted to those traveling on.

“I am so disappointed,” he said. “I was aware that any sort of conviction could be a problem, but not something from 1969, almost 32 years ago.”

Not only was Stoddard the first protester rejected, he was the only one denied entry Thursday. Fewer than three dozen activists, far less than were expected, crossed into Armstrong, Quebec, Thursday morning, after their vehicles were detained and searched. Immigration officials used a computer database to check for criminal records, requiring one Bangor-area man to pay $130 on an old fine before he was allowed into Canada.

Canadian officials joked that had President Bush entered Canada through the Jackman crossing, he would have been denied entry because of his drunken driving conviction.

Only one Canadian vehicle was detained and searched, while all U.S. cars, with the exception of one carrying two small children and another operated by an elderly couple, were forced into a closed garage and searched. By late Thursday, no contraband had been found in any vehicle.

Anticipating traffic congestion and a possible disruption at the border by activists, law enforcement officials were out in force. A small fleet of Maine state troopers and Somerset County sheriff’s deputies were joined by at least a dozen federal agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. More than two dozen Canadian customs and immigration officials were on duty, including a K-9 officer and his drug-sniffing dog, Kid.

Denis Hetu, director of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police dog service, said it was unusual for the dog to be stationed at the border. “It is not normal for the dogs to be here,” he said. “Usually, we come only when we are needed.” He said he and the other additional officers were at Armstrong from other areas of Canada.

Those few who passed through the border Thursday had praise for the considerate, efficient manner of the Canadian officials. The first activist to be cleared for entry, Judy Robbins of Sedgwick, said she was asked very appropriate questions, such as her destination and plans for overnight accommodations, but that she had traveled to Quebec many times before and had not had her vehicle searched.

Mabel Denison of Farmington agreed. “This is not usual treatment,” she said.

The activists, however, were not put off. Two Colby College students from Waterville used the delay to begin filming a documentary that will include footage from Quebec City. Three women juggled oranges. Many filmed or photographed the border station and its activity.

Canadian and American officials said they had expected much more traffic. Stopping for breakfast Thursday morning after working the night shift, Somerset County Deputy Michael Knight said it was extraordinarily quiet all night.

Thursday, there were long periods of time when no cars approached the border. The quiet was broken only occasionally by tractor-trailers hauling wood into Canada.

Several Canadian inspectors, standing around the empty border station, theorized that many activists were unable to find overnight accommodations and were likely to appear at the border today.

MEGAN activist Jim Freeman agreed. He said that by Friday night, several hundred protesters will have crossed the border and another hundred were expected to participate in a gathering in Jackman.