>> NARRATOR: Coming up on Weekends with Yankee, Amy is visiting the villages of the White Mountains to embark on a tasty tour of the region's inns.

>> TRAVERSO: It smells so good in here.

>> NARRATOR: Then we're hiking in Montpelier, Vermont, with ultrarunner Mirna Valerio, who's dedicating her life and career to advocating for inclusion in the outdoors.

>> In our society, there is a certain kind of body that we call fit, and it's only a look.

>> NARRATOR: Finally, Richard learns how Sea Bags in Portland is bringing new life to old sails.

So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England, as you've never experienced it before, a true insiders' guide from the editors of Yankee Magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

>> Funding provided by: ♪ ♪ >> ANNOUNCER: The Vermont Country Store, purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find, a family-owned tradition since 1946.

Merchandise and products from around the block and around the world.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ANNOUNCER: Family Tree Magazine-- articles, podcasts, online courses, and webinar resources for discovering, preserving, and celebrating family history.

>> ANNOUNCER: Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts-- the first public park in America; the first fried clams; the first university in America; the first basketball game.

What's first for you?

>> TRAVERSO: It's a beautiful winter morning here in Eaton, New Hampshire.

I'm actually in a village called Snowvillage, which makes me feel like I'm in a Hallmark movie, except I'm not looking for love, I'm looking for cookies.

Every year, a group of inns here in the White Mountains invite visitors up for the Inn-to-Inn Cookie Tour.

People can stay at the local inns and then visit the other properties to sample their cookies and their holiday decorations.

I'm starting my day at the Snowvillage Inn, where this tradition originated, but then I'll be visiting two more inns to sample cookies and get in the holiday spirit.

Hello!

>> Hi, Amy.

>> Hello!

>> TRAVERSO: So nice to meet you.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> TRAVERSO: I have been wanting to do this tour for literally years, I am so happy to be here.

>> Well, we're excited you're here and the cookie tour is going to be a great weekend for you.

And we've got some cookies over by the fireplace if you'd like some.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, thank you.

Yay, all right.

This is so lovely and cozy.

>> Oh, thank you.

We love having the fire going and people getting to just relax... >> TRAVERSO: Yes.

>> ...and enjoy being here.

>> TRAVERSO: So tell me what we've got here.

>> Well, these are our cookies for the cookie tour and we have a raspberry palmiers.

And then, these are a little bit fancier, they are gaulettes.

And what gaulettes are are Belgian waffle cookies.

>> TRAVERSO: So my understanding is that you actually started this tradition of the cookie tour.

>> Yes, we did, back in 1997.

>> TRAVERSO: Wow.

>> And all the inns decorate like crazy people.

(laughter) So we want to get people to see it.

And then we just added cookies to it, to make it even more inviting so that all the sugar hounds could also come and take a look at everything.

(Amy laughs) >> TRAVERSO: How long does it take to make all those cookies?

>> The big push starts pretty much in September.

>> TRAVERSO: I bet your freezer is very full as you... >> Usually, yes.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

There's something so special about the scale of a property like this.

And what makes an inn an inn?

>> I think what makes an inn an inn is the personal touch that goes into just about everything.

That, you know, you don't really own the place, you get to take care of it and then it moves on to the next person.

>> TRAVERSO: Well, I have miles of cookies to go before I sleep tonight, thank you.

♪ ♪ So I'm heading just over the Maine border to Fryeburg, Maine, where the Admiral Peary Inn is.

Part of the joy of this tour is that you go from one village to another.

They are these adorable little quintessential New England villages strung together like jewels on a chain.

And so you're taking in the scenery in between cookie visits and really just enjoying the beauty of winter.

♪ ♪ Hello?

>> Hi Amy, come on in.

>> TRAVERSO: I literally followed my nose.

It smells so good in here.

>> Well, we're doing the ginger doodles and we're doing some maple doodles.

So you're following your nose.

>> TRAVERSO: I love labradoodles.

I love golden doodles, (laughs) I love ginger doodles.

>> How about what we throw a batch together?

>> TRAVERSO: That sounds great, yeah.

>> Do you want an apron?

>> TRAVERSO: I'd love an apron.

Does it match yours?

>> It does.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, I love it!

I'm on the cookie...

I feel official.

>> You're part of my cookie-baking crew.

This machine is not the quietest.

It's been used a lot.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> Okay, so ...go ahead and you can put the eggs in.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> I've already got the, the cup of butter.

>> TRAVERSO: All right.

>> Two eggs at room temperature and we're going to start-- (mixers whirring) with that.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> Okay.

I know, it's like, "Oh my, good Lord have mercy, honey, you just need a break."

One cup of maple sugar per batch.

So we're going to need two.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> Go ahead and dump and go.

>> TRAVERSO: Should we scrape down the sides?

(laughs) All right.

>> Earn your, earn your bib.

Earn your bib, I get it.

(mixer whirring) >> TRAVERSO: All right, that looks... perfect.

>> Let's get rid of this here.

When you go around to 11 inns and each inn has two cookies, you're then eating 22 cookies.

>> TRAVERSO: Yes.

Yeah.

>> No!

I discovered that all they want is a nibble.

>> TRAVERSO: Yeah.

>> So I'll break them up.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> So it's a taste... and a take plate.

>> TRAVERSO: Yes.

>> And they like that.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> Because then they're not dying of diabetes and going into a sugar coma.

>> TRAVERSO: And then when did you get hooked into the cookie tour?

>> The first year I was here.

>>TRAVERSO: Really?

>> I got a phone call going... >> TRAVERSO: Uh-huh.

>> "You know, the previous owners used to be participating in the cookie tour."

I didn't know.

>> TRAVERSO: How could it hurt?

>> Little did I know that... a tree and a wreath does not constitute... (laughter) decorating a house.

And a couple of dozen cookies, I think that year turned into about 1,200.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, my gosh.

>> I'm going to check this batch of cookies right here in the oven.

Okay, I'm going to put these over here on this pad.

>> TRAVERSO: Can I possibly taste a cookie?

Or is it too soon?

>> Can you possibly only taste one?

(Amy laughs) >> TRAVERSO: All right.

(crunches) Mmm... mmm, mmm, mmm.

>> Do you need a glass of water between?

>> TRAVERSO: No, I'm going to keep going because I'm a professional; okay, I'm going to try... >> You're a professional cookie eater.

>> TRAVERSO: I am, I am.

>> Okay.

>> TRAVERSO: All right, this one, I'm gonna break it.

♪ ♪ Mmm.

>> I know.

>> TRAVERSO: It is so good.

>> A doodle is not just a doodle.

>> TRAVERSO: Mm-hmm.

>> A doodle is not just a doodle.

I think that's enough cookies >> TRAVERSO: I think so.

>> For them to be able to display, and then I'll wrap them up.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

>> And you can bring them over to the Cranmore Inn.

>> TRAVERSO: Great.

We'll go do that.

Thank you so much for having me.

This has been a delight.

>> Oh, this has been blast.

>> TRAVERSO: My final stop is the Cranmore Inn in North Conway, New Hampshire.

This inn has been welcoming travelers since 1863 and its current owners came here to raise their two children.

And I'm really excited to meet this next generation of innkeepers.

I'm also just about at my cookie quota, but I can't wait to see what they have here.

♪ ♪ Hi.

>> Hey.

>> Hi.

>> TRAVERSO: Hi, I'm Amy.

>> I'm David.

>> TRAVERSO: Nice to meet you, David.

>> I'm Sherie.

>> TRAVERSO: Hi, Sherie.

Okay, so you're a little young for innkeepers.

(laughter) Are you the official innkeepers or are you the... >> We're the... we're just the tour guides.

>> TRAVERSO: The tour guides?

Okay, cool.

And so you have grown up here at the inn?

>> Yes.

>> We have.

>> TRAVERSO: And how many years have you done the cookie tour?

>> Maybe three.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, great, okay.

All right, well, I would love to just see the highlights.

I've had a fair number of cookies already today, but this still does look very, very appetizing.

And I know these are from all the different inns that are on the tour, right?

>> Yes, mm-hmm.

>> TRAVERSO: That's so cool.

So what's in a Kentucky Derby cookie?

>> There are pecans, bourbon, and chocolate chips, I think.

>> TRAVERSO: Ooh.

>> I'm not quite sure because my dad's the one who made them.

>> TRAVERSO: Ooh, well, can I talk to the chef?

>> Yes, of course.

Fathers!

(Amy laughs) ♪ ♪ >> TRAVERSO: Oh, they come when called.

>> Hi, Amy, welcome to the Cranmore Inn.

>> TRAVERSO: Thank you!

>> I'm Eddie.

>> TRAVERSO: Eddie and Christopher.

>> Yes.

>> TRAVERSO: Okay.

So nice to meet you.

>> Eddie is the chef.

>> TRAVERSO: Oh, okay.

>> Well, why don't we have a seat?

>> TRAVERSO: Okay, great.

Let's start with the cookies.

Can you tell me about the cookies that you made this year?

>> I chose a lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze.

>> TRAVERSO: Mmm.

>> With baking as many cookies as we have to bake every year, one of our cookies is always in bar form.

>> TRAVERSO: Yes.

>> It just speeds the whole process up.

>> TRAVERSO: The two other properties we visited today, the Admiral Peary and the Snowvillage, they were originally vacation homes or homes that were converted, but this has always been an inn, is that right?

>> Always, always.

We're the oldest continuously operating inn in North Conway.

They were building it during the Civil War.

Can you imagine?

>> TRAVERSO: Wow.

>> We are the 12th owners of this property.

>> TRAVERSO: That's not a lot... >> No.

>> TRAVERSO: ...when you think about the age.

>> I mean the first family owned this inn for almost 50 years.

>> TRAVERSO: That's amazing.

So do you see yourselves as stewards of something that outlasts you and into the next generation?

>> Well, I do believe that the Cranmore Inn will be here for many generations to come.

>> TRAVERSO: Right.

>> I don't know that I necessarily perceive myself as a steward for the future generations, knowing that our kids have dreams of their own.

>> Don't, don't want us to mess it up?

(laughter) >> TRAVERSO: Well, I really feel like this quick trip up to New Hampshire has really put me in the holiday spirit.

So thank you so much for having me.

>> Thank you.

>> You're very welcome.

>> Thank you for joining us, it was great having you here.

>> TRAVERSO: Thanks.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Today we're in Montpelier, Vermont.

It's the country's smallest and one of its most beautiful state capitals.

It's packed with great art, great food, and it has a really vibrant outdoor culture.

And this is the scene that drew Mirna Valerio to move here three years ago.

Mirna, or the Mirnavator as she's known on Instagram, is a professional athlete, writer, and educator.

And her work is changing how a lot of us think about how an athlete should look.

Several years ago, she started a blog called Fat Girl Running, and in it, she broke hard from topics for diet-obsessed crowds, with posts like "Calling BS on BMI" and "How To Be a Fat Runner in Ten Simple Steps."

Since then, she's built an incredible national profile, which has included her being named by National Geographic as one of its Top Adventures of the Year in 2018.

As a senior editor for Yankee, I had a chance to meet with Mirna a few years ago while on assignment and I'm excited to be back in Montpelier to see Mirna again.

Mirna!

>> Hello!

How you doing, Ian?

>> Hey, it's so great to see you.

>> Good to see you, too... come in.

>> Thank you, all right.

You've lived in Vermont for a couple years now.

How has living in Vermont kind of impacted what you do and how you sort of think about your career?

>> Yeah, yeah.

I wanted to be able to have access to trails.

I love trails, I love trail running.

That's where I feel the best.

And I love it here because of the mountains, because of the outdoor community.

People are able to be outside anytime of the year, (laughing): you know, whether it's super hot and muggy or that it's below zero.

When I first moved here, I don't know if it was written in the stars, but I knew I was home.

>> Do you have, like, a favorite spot around here that you like to go to?

>> Yeah, there is a spot.

It's close enough that I can get there in about 20 minutes.

It's Hunger Mountain and there's something about it that I really love.

It's quiet, but it's so... rough and tumble, and I like that about it.

>> Well, I'd love to see it.

>> Let's do it.

>> Let's do it.

>> Yeah.

(laughter) ♪ ♪ >> Okay, I'm guessing (Mirna laughs) from the fact that you have... are carrying stuff and I'm not... >> Uh-huh.

>> One of us is going to survive and one of us won't.

>> And that would be me.

(laughter) And poles, you know, it actually takes off 25%... >> Wow.

>> ...of the pressure to all of your joints.

They're a really, really good companion.

♪ ♪ >> What do you make of your role in the body positivity movement?

You've sort of become a spokesperson for it all.

>> It doesn't make any sense, actually.

(laughter) Because I, you know, was running to reclaim my own sense of health and wellness.

That's what I was doing.

And I started sharing that, for lack of a better word, journey, and my blog, Fat Girl Running.

Some of my friends said, you know, "Fat is ba... a really bad word, so you probably shouldn't use that in the title."

And I said, "Well, I'm fat."

My aim was to... sort of destigmatize that.

And I just wanted to share stories and have an opportunity to write about running in a way that I had not seen.

I didn't want to write about running as weight loss or running to be fast.

I just wanted to write what it meant for me to run.

♪ ♪ I love signing these because, uh, it's just like, part of the ritual.

And I also love to put a note.

>> The internet is not always a friendly place, and you are... (laughter) >> I don't know what you mean.

(laughter) >> But you've been very forthright about your experience and some of the obstacles you've come up against and some of the people that you've had to sort of navigate.

How has sort of this feedback about what you're writing about, and what you're kind of representing changed over the years?

>> In our society, there is a certain kind of body that we call fit... and it's only a look.

And so, you know, I would get comments.

I would get a lot of positive comments and encouraging comments-- "Oh, that's so great, I'm so finally... "I'm so glad to finally see somebody that looks like me running on a trail."

"Wow, that's so cool, maybe I can do it."

Then I'd also get, "She's fake running."

"She's lying."

"She's a fraud."

So I'd get that, and... and that, you know, that stuff is hurtful.

Now, like, I understand that, that people are having reactions because they were socialized to think that people in bodies like mine cannot be healthy, cannot be fit.

You know, by the time I was writing my blog, I was training for a marathon and I was playing tennis.

I was swimming, hiking-- I was doing all of these things.

I think I'm pretty fit.

It really spurred this conversation about, you know, can somebody be fat and fit?

♪ ♪ >> This would be an amazing hike in the winter.

>> Oh, it is.

So I think that trails, they connect you to other people, right?

And they connect you to experiences of awe, right?

And so that's what the trail signs do for me-- once I see trail, I know that other people have been on this particular path.

I'm comforted, you know, knowing that I'm connected to other people.

♪ ♪ My dream is to build trails and to build a beautiful space so that people can come and will have good experiences in the outdoors.

♪ ♪ I want people to have memorable experiences in the outdoors so that they care, and that they can, they can connect their joy to that specific moment.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> WIESE: We've all heard the terms recycle, sustainability.

But when it comes to the actual process, it's a little vague.

(machine clanks) Well, here in Portland, Maine, at Sea Bags, they literally take sails from the sea and turn them into bags.

Come on, I'll show you what I mean.

♪ ♪ Hey Sean, how are you?

>> Richard, nice to meet you-- how are you?

>> WIESE: Yeah!

I'm so excited to be here.

>> Welcome to our warehouse.

This is where we do all of the production for Sea Bags.

♪ ♪ Our sail collection process begins here.

>> WIESE: Wow!

♪ ♪ >> Jack, how you doing?

>> Good, man.

>> Thanks for coming by, appreciate it.

>> Hey, our pleasure.

♪ ♪ >> This year alone, we've recycled upwards of 7,000 sails.

>> One of these has got a pretty good tear along the seam.

>> Oh, yeah, it was in a storm blowout.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah, well, we'll work around that.

♪ ♪ >> We're really working with all individual sailors, yacht clubs, sail makers, and other institutions that work with us to recycle these sails.

♪ ♪ Without the recycling of the sails, there would be no company.

>> WIESE: So when, when you say an idea to recycle sails, I would imagine, especially in saltwater, that sails have a limited life.

>> That's right, absolutely, and it definitely depends on what they're being used for as well.

Some people could use a sail for a year and decide that, you know, it's time for a new one.

We have other more casual day sailors that can use sails for a ten, 20 years and then they come to see us for product and to exchange their sail.

So all of the sails that we acquire first come through our cut room, which is what we're looking at here.

And I'd like to show you a sail that we're actually preparing to cut.

>> WIESE: You have it so neatly folded and, you know, you sort of forget how big sails are.

♪ ♪ >> So you'll see that this fills up the majority of the cut room.

>> WIESE: Wow, these are-- these are huge.

♪ ♪ And so will a person come here and say, "This section we'll use for a purse.

This one's for a tote bag, this is for..." I mean, is that how it works?

>> Absolutely.

And then, of course, once we do cut down all the panels, we're washing all of the material.

>> WIESE: Oh, so it doesn't have that... salty feel to it.

>> That's right, that's right.

>> WIESE: And I have to imagine that every one of these sails has a story.

>> They do.

We often deal with people who, you know, their older family members may have passed away.

They've given their sailboat sails onto the next generation and they want have a keepsake from that material when it's no longer usable.

We also work with some larger schooners that have some history to them.

♪ ♪ >> WIESE: Oh, here we have an old one, right?

>> That's right.

>> WIESE: Wow!

>> So this came off of the schooner Isaac H. Evans.

This boat was built in 1886, the oldest surviving oyster vessel in the United States.

And we're actually going to be working on custom bags made particularly from this sail for the crew.

♪ ♪ >> WIESE: So this sail now is going to be made into what?

>> This will probably be used for large or medium tote bags.

We do make 90% of our materials from Dacron sail material.

So we just start with the belly of the sail and we'll work our way in.

♪ ♪ >> WIESE: I love these scissors you have, they're, they're sort of like industrial grade.

You can probably prune trees with this.

>> And you know we sharpen these about twice a month.

>> WIESE: You know, I just love the fact that this is going to have a seam in it.

>> It adds to the character of the bag, shows that it is an authentic sail used on the water.

>> WIESE: It even has a dead spider on it.

(laughter) >> Yeah.

>> WIESE: Maybe you can incorporate that into the design.

So this will now become a tote bag?

>> This is more of what you're going to see on the wharf becoming tote bags today.

♪ ♪ (sewing machines humming) >> WIESE: Hi, Beth.

>> Hi, welcome.

>> WIESE: Thank you, I'm so excited to be here.

>> We are so happy to have you.

>> WIESE: So I saw them cut the canvas.

What's the next step here?

>> They come to this building where we apply designs and we put them together as kits.

By the time they get to the seamstresses here, they have everything they need to construct the bags.

♪ ♪ So let me show you what Lisa's doing.

♪ ♪ Every sail comes in looking a little bit like this, although sail material has evolved over time.

So this is a piece of white Dacron.

You can see the stitching here, which is a beautiful zig stitch is authentic to the top stitch of the sail.

We are able now to apply our designs, which are done upstairs and so, with dye sublimation technique, we can take this piece of white sail and put on a beautiful antique map.

>> WIESE: A map of... >> This looks like the coast of Maine to me.

And then we will take our continuous loop rope handle... where they are hand spliced, which is true fishing technique.

>> WIESE: It must be so much fun for both of you, you know, walking down the street and seeing a bag that was stitched here, or you've seen that sail before.

>> There is no greater compliment and it never gets old for any of us to see somebody carrying a Sea Bag.

>> WIESE: I'd love to see some more of the product.

>> Yes, so why don't we go into our factory store and I'll show you some more.

>> WIESE: Absolutely, absolutely.

♪ ♪ >> So, because every sail has had a journey, every bag of ours tells a story.

And so when I look around, I'll kind of show you what I see.

So I look at this bag and I know that this particular sail sailed the World Ocean Race and... >> WIESE: World Ocean Race?

>> And was commissioned by the boat that owned it.

And when I look over here, this is a day sailing boat.

It's a smaller boat.

And there are so many stories of kids that learn to sail on these 420 boats.

So everybody who brings this in has a particular fond memory of how they learned to sail and get on the ocean.

>> WIESE: What a great memory that is.

>> Right.

And this is what we call our vintage wall.

And these are the insignias that were authentically on the sail.

>> WIESE: And, and why Maine?

Why did Maine become the place to have people sewing these things together?

>> Well, Maine has a rich history and tradition in cotton sew.

♪ ♪ You know, we had shirt factories and factories where we made bedspreads and textiles, and it was sad to see all of those jobs go offshore.

(sewing machines clattering) We're bringing it back one bag at a time.

>> WIESE: I so enjoyed this.

So here's the advice I need: my wife and my 13-year-old daughter-- I would like to buy them something at your retail store.

Any suggestions?

>> Well, the 13-year-olds all love the crossbody bags so that they can be hands free and put their phones in.

And for you wife, I think everybody needs a great beach bag.

>> WIESE: A beach bag.

I'm from New England and when you see a world-class operation like this doing well in Maine, that's great.

>> On behalf of all of our team here, thank you for coming in.

>> WIESE: Thank you.

>> I'll put that receipt right in there for you.

>> WIESE: Great, thank you very much.

>> NARRATOR: For exclusive video, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors, and access to the Weekends With Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

Six issues for $10.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

>> ANNOUNCER: Major funding provided by: ♪ ♪ >> ANNOUNCER: The Vermont Country Store, purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find, a family-owned tradition since 1946.

Merchandise and products from around the block and around the world.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> ANNOUNCER: Family Tree Magazine-- articles, podcasts, online courses, and webinar resources for discovering, preserving, and celebrating family history.

>> ANNOUNCER: Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts-- the first public park in America; the first fried clams; the first university in America; the first basketball game.

What's first for you?

♪ ♪ >> ANNOUNCER: Closed captioning for Weekends with Yankee provided by the Woodstock Inn and Resort, an American legacy resort in Woodstock, Vermont.

♪ ♪ >> TRAVERSO: Tell me what we've got here.

>> Well, these are our cookies for the cookie tour.

And we have a raspberry palmiers... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪