Take five days to paddle through Kenai’s Swanson Lake System. You’ll find yourself surrounded by enormous mountains and brilliant colors. When paddling through the lakes, you’ll be wondering if the colors are actually real. Portaging on land you’ll be by extraordinary landscapes. The land portages are brisk hikes, all less than two miles long. In water portages, you’ll be navigating in creeks that wind through marsh areas. That’s what it’s like going through the Swanson Lake System.      Mei-Mei Bixby