Just made it from Wimborn to Frostford in my most recent playthrough with an under-equipped under-leveled party. They had no energy left! But those chests are so tempting and i can't afford lockpicks hahaa.
Totally agree about enjoying a relaxing experience with games. Like to take my time generally and explore the mechanics.
Even if energy management becomes more important in the next update. There's nothing stopping you taking a few days to restock, recover then trying to catch that reclusive dragonkin again.
With content for the kennels on the horizon, would adding stables be out of the question? Could completely negate energy loss from walking. Including your whole team at stage 4.