It's a threesome
All the tracks connected. Click for a more detailed description.
Firns and old man's beard in the rain forest where the Greenstone and Caples tracks meet
On the western end, the tracks join near The Divide, the shared trailhead for all three. On the eastern end, near Glenorchy, the connection is not quite as good. The Caples and Greenstone share the same trailhead, but along the road it's about 30km to that of the Routeburn Track. You could walk that in a day, or use the shuttle services between the nearby town of Glenorchy and the respective trailheads.
The Caples Track
Mount Christina from McKellar Saddle
After I had a foggy experience on the Routeburn Track, the weather improved quickly. I carried plenty of food, and so I continued along the Caples track. It was beautiful, and, unlike on Harris Saddle, I had views this time!
Alpenglow over the Humboldt Mountains, from Mid Caples hut
The second big difference was the solitude. While I met dozens of people on the Routeburn Track every day, on the Caples Track there were only a handful. And when I spent the night at Mid Caples Hut, I was almost alone: besides me, there was a DOC park ranger, who had his own private quarters. As it happened, it was his birthday and he actually had cake :)
Links
Below Earland Falls on the Routeburn Track
Sundown at Greenstone Hut on the Greenstone Track
Previously ...
Before the Caples Track, I tramped the Routeburn Track.
The conclusion
After coming down the Caples Valley, I headed back up along the Greenstone Track.
External
The New Zealand Department of Conservation, or DOC for short, does a great job in preserving the outdoors. And for all oudoor enthousiasts, their site has an enormous wealth of information, including many route descriptions such as the Greenstone and Caples Tracks.
