It seems to me that if I know trig, I can use it to solve the set of geometric problems to which it is applicable, without having been taught any special applications of trig. That's valuable in itself.

Then I take physics, and I find a whole bunch of other applications. I take calculus, and I find a bunch more uses. I take mechanics, and I find a bunch more. But it is not the job of trig to teach me those applications (though hints would be useful). It's not trig's job to teach me physics - that's a job for physics. But I need trig as a foundation.

I'm not sure that I answered your question, though...