I'm not quite sure what the deal is with this torii gate. It's located along a trail in Toronto's Don Valley. I'm not sure how official it is, but I've chosen to include it with my Sacred Places photo set anyway. Though torii gates are often painted red, this one is not. It is, however, constructed of some kind of reddish wood. Our day didn't go as planned and the hike to the gate was more of an ordeal than expected; in case you can't tell, it was the golden hour by the time we could get there!
Always present at the entrance to Shinto shrines, torii gates are also used to mark natural features (like mountains, rocks, or trees) that are considered sacred. Passing through a torii gate is meant to be a mindful/spiritual act as the gates represent purification, protection, and the connection between our human realm and that of the divine.
