Interesting point, @dylan413. What hit me was how that data can actually ruin a bit of the surprise. If I see the next great viewpoint is exactly 2.3 miles away, I stop just looking at the woods around me and start watching my feet and the tracker. It turns the hike into a checklist instead of an adventure. I've forced myself to not look at those markers sometimes, just to find my own rhythm and stop when something cool catches my eye, not when the app says to.
I mean, is it really that big of a deal? It's just an app giving you some numbers. You can still choose to ignore it if you want the surprise. Idk, maybe it's just me but turning off your screen or not looking at that one part seems like a pretty easy fix. It feels like we're making a problem out of something that's just a tool.