Mike Krepner smokes his pipe while resting during the long Gassabias Portage. Krepner helped reopen the trail. Staff photo by John Patriquin.

That intrigued Krepner, an avid canoeist from Baltimore who had recently moved to midcoast Maine. So he and a friend drove to the wilds of Hancock and Washington counties and located the portage. Sure enough, the remains of a rough path was visible through the brush.

That discovery, coupled with Krepner's love of canoeing and curiosity about Indian lore, led him and two friends to form Native Trails. Its goal: identify, document and, where possible, preserve pre-mechanized travel routes.

The Eastern Maine Canoe Trail, a 130-mile route that uses the Gassabias Portage as a bridge between the St. Croix River watershed and the Penobscot River watershed, was the group's first attempt.

''It seemed like a modest step,'' says Krepner. ''We were introducing the idea of a historic water trail that connects to other watersheds.''

So far, success has also been modest for Krepner, a 48-year-old Waldoboro resident who makes a living sewing backpacks and other outdoor gear. Native Trails is 8 years old and has only 16 members. Krepner started writing a guidebook for the Eastern Maine Canoe Trail but doesn't have the money to finish it.

In 1995, state conservation workers cleared the Gassabias Portage. And word about the canoe trail has been trickling out. By Krepner's count, a dozen people paddled parts of it in 1996.

Now Krepner has set his sights on something more ambitious. He is working with other groups to create a 700-mile canoe and portage route stretching from Fort Kent to Old Forge, N.Y. It would be called the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

''This is a biggie,'' Krepner says. ''The Eastern Maine Canoe Trail was really a test case, to see if anyone was interested.''

The idea of boating from Maine to New York seems to have a certain appeal. Last year, Krepner got two small grants to help prepare a rough map of the route. By car, foot and canoe, he and supporters followed the water across northern New England and into the Adirondacks.

Krepner's plan has also gained the support of the Appalachian Mountain Club and National Park Service. In New York, local tourism agencies see canoe trail enthusiasts as a source of economic development in rural areas.

But Krepner isn't waiting for the Eastern Maine or Northern Forest trails to become formalized. He's a catalyst, rediscovering what once was and suggesting how it might be again.

On a trip to Mexico, Krepner got involved in an effort to create a guidebook for ancient Mayan travel routes. His group is also collecting information on caravan routes across Africa.

''There is an ultimate end, but it won't be in my lifetime,'' Krepner says. ''It's our belief that if we can educate people to the value of these things, they will find ways to preserve them.''

Canoeing and birch bark canoes

NativeTech's history of Native American birch bark canoes with directions to make a mini-canoe model

"Arnold Invades Quebec: Canoe-borne attack follows Kennebec, Dead and Chaudiere" is about Colonel Benedict Arnold's birchbark-canoe invasion of Canada, the first amphibious military assault in our nation's history.

Margaret's Algonquin Park Page has tips for planning a canoe trip.

Canoe and Kayak magazine online

The Paddlers' Web

Chat about paddling in the GORP Paddling Forum

Maine Sportsmen's Guide to river trips

Checklist for canoe campers

Top ten tips for safe canoeing