TWM initial stretch

[Hiemalis]

The stretch between the immediate entrance of Timberwolf Mountain (connecting it to Pleasant Valley) and the landing gear... is it really necessary?

I don't see neither meaning or function to it. It enhances the foreboding the first time ever you enter the map, yes, but at every subsequent play it's just a wasted minute of empty march. There are no items (at least on my gameplays), no possible wildlife spawn, no aesthetically significant view. You can't even get lost in that, since it's just a long empty corridor.

I know that long walks are part of the game. I appreciate them, actually. But each one of them brings me something, or at least the possibility of something. This one doesn't. Perhaps I'm missing something?