I was born and raised in a small town in Connecticut and in 2001 I decided to do some traveling. I ended up living in Hawaii for awhile and it was there that I met what would become my Alaska connection. I became friends with a fellow traveler there, a girl from Talkeetna named Cara Durr. We eventually became roommates and after my return home to CT I stayed in regular contact with Cara. After graduating from the University of Connecticut my plan was to travel more and that is when Cara suggested I spend a summer with her in Talkeetna first, working at Talkeetna River Guides. My initial response was absolutely not! I wore chinos with lobsters on them, cardigan sweaters, always wore my trusty pearl earrings and necklace set: Alaska didn’t seem like a good fit. However, the promise of adventure  overrode my initial hesitation and I took Cara up on her offer. So, in the summer of 2003 I moved to Talkeetna, Alaska. The adventures and lifestyle far exceeded any pre-conceived notions I had: we spent our time rafting, hiking to find snow for summer sledding, kayaking, fishing, flying to glaciers, and camping. I was hooked! I went home that fall at the end of the tourist season knowing I’d be back as soon as possible. I left Connecticut for Alaska January 2004, and have been living here and working for Talkeetna River Guides ever since!

Throughout my time at T.R.G. my responsibilities kept growing and when the previous owner, Margaret Salmon, eventually left Talkeetna to finish her Medical degree, I moved up as the General Manager. Being in the tourism industry our guests always want to hear our stories and are always so curious to how people ended up in this little dead end town. My answer is I fell in love; first with Talkeetna River Guides, this little business with a lot of heart that I found myself feeling really invested in and secondly, with my husband who was born and raised in Talkeetna. After years of being the GM of T.R.G. January 2019 I was presented with a life changing opportunity. Margaret approached me about purchasing the business as she came to the realization that her medical career and life changes no longer afforded her the time to prioritize T.R.G. I jumped on the opportunity! This was a business that I’ve been involved in for sixteen years of my life and couldn’t think of a more natural progression.

Talkeetna River Guides provides daily natural history scenic float trips on our local rivers. I truly love sharing the beauty of our home with people and I think one of our best qualities is that our guests can feel how much we love where we live and love what we do! There is something very special about being a small business owner and being able to live and work in a town that you love so much. By rafting with T.R.G. you are supporting a dream, a family, a community, and so much more and we are grateful!

With Gratitude,
Ashley Kaso