diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
index 203a45e..b67ea40 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_tree_navigator.go
@@ -1,23 +1,73 @@
 package yqlib
 
-// import yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+type dataTreeNavigator struct {
+}
 
-// type NodeLeafContext struct {
-// 	Node      *yaml.Node
-// 	Head      interface{}
-// 	PathStack []interface{}
-// }
+type DataTreeNavigator interface {
+	GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes []*NodeContext, pathNode *PathTreeNode) ([]*NodeContext, error)
+}
 
-// func newNodeLeafContext(node *yaml.Node, head interface{}, tailpathStack []interface{}) NodeLeafContext {
-// 	newPathStack := make([]interface{}, len(pathStack))
-// 	copy(newPathStack, pathStack)
-// 	return NodeContext{
-// 		Node:      node,
-// 		Head:      head,
-// 		PathStack: newPathStack,
-// 	}
-// }
+func NewTreeNavigator() DataTreeNavigator {
+	return &dataTreeNavigator{}
+}
 
-// type DataTreeNavigator interface {
-// 	Traverse(value *NodeLeafContext)
-// }
+func (d *dataTreeNavigator) traverseSingle(matchingNode *NodeContext, pathNode *PathElement) ([]*NodeContext, error) {
+	var value = matchingNode.Node
+	// match all for splat
+	// match all and recurse for deep
+	// etc and so forth
+
+}
+
+func (d *dataTreeNavigator) traverse(matchingNodes []*NodeContext, pathNode *PathElement) ([]*NodeContext, error) {
+	var newMatchingNodes = make([]*NodeContext, 0)
+	var newNodes []*NodeContext
+	var err error
+	for _, node := range matchingNodes {
+
+		newNodes, err = d.traverseSingle(node, pathNode)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		newMatchingNodes = append(newMatchingNodes, newNodes...)
+	}
+
+	return newMatchingNodes, nil
+}
+
+func (d *dataTreeNavigator) GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes []*NodeContext, pathNode *PathTreeNode) ([]*NodeContext, error) {
+	if pathNode.PathElement.PathElementType == PathKey || pathNode.PathElement.PathElementType == ArrayIndex {
+		return d.traverse(matchingNodes, pathNode.PathElement)
+	} else {
+		var lhs, rhs []*NodeContext
+		var err error
+		switch pathNode.PathElement.OperationType {
+		case Traverse:
+			lhs, err = d.GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes, pathNode.Lhs)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return d.GetMatchingNodes(lhs, pathNode.Rhs)
+		case Or, And:
+			lhs, err = d.GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes, pathNode.Lhs)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			rhs, err = d.GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes, pathNode.Rhs)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return d.setFunction(pathNode.PathElement, lhs, rhs), nil
+		case Equals:
+			lhs, err = d.GetMatchingNodes(matchingNodes, pathNode.Lhs)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			return d.findMatchingValues(lhs, pathNode.Rhs)
+		case EqualsSelf:
+			return d.findMatchingValues(matchingNodes, pathNode.Rhs)
+		}
+
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/path_postfix.go b/pkg/yqlib/path_postfix.go
index 631076b..30de129 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/path_postfix.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/path_postfix.go
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ type PathElement struct {
 	PathElementType PathElementType
 	OperationType   OperationType
 	Value           interface{}
-	Finished        bool
 }
 
 // debugging purposes only
@@ -109,14 +108,6 @@ func popOpToResult(opStack []*lex.Token, result []*PathElement) ([]*lex.Token, [
 	return opStack, append(result, &pathElement)
 }
 
-func finishPathKey(result []*PathElement) {
-	if len(result) > 0 {
-		//need to mark PathKey elements as finished so we
-		//stop appending PathKeys as children
-		result[len(result)-1].Finished = true
-	}
-}
-
 func (p *pathPostFixer) ConvertToPostfix(infixTokens []*lex.Token) ([]*PathElement, error) {
 	var result []*PathElement
 	// surround the whole thing with quotes
@@ -130,7 +121,6 @@ func (p *pathPostFixer) ConvertToPostfix(infixTokens []*lex.Token) ([]*PathEleme
 			result = append(result, &pathElement)
 		case TokenIds["("]:
 			opStack = append(opStack, token)
-			finishPathKey(result)
 		case TokenIds["OR_OPERATOR"], TokenIds["AND_OPERATOR"], TokenIds["EQUALS_OPERATOR"], TokenIds["EQUALS_SELF_OPERATOR"], TokenIds["TRAVERSE_OPERATOR"]:
 			var currentPrecedence = precedenceMap[token.Type]
 			// pop off higher precedent operators onto the result
@@ -139,7 +129,6 @@ func (p *pathPostFixer) ConvertToPostfix(infixTokens []*lex.Token) ([]*PathEleme
 			}
 			// add this operator to the opStack
 			opStack = append(opStack, token)
-			finishPathKey(result)
 		case TokenIds[")"]:
 			for len(opStack) > 0 && opStack[len(opStack)-1].Type != TokenIds["("] {
 				opStack, result = popOpToResult(opStack, result)
@@ -149,7 +138,6 @@ func (p *pathPostFixer) ConvertToPostfix(infixTokens []*lex.Token) ([]*PathEleme
 			}
 			// now we should have ( as the last element on the opStack, get rid of it
 			opStack = opStack[0 : len(opStack)-1]
-			finishPathKey(result)
 		}
 	}
 	return result, nil
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/path_tree.go b/pkg/yqlib/path_tree.go
index cf0b1ea..070ee89 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/path_tree.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/path_tree.go
@@ -1,27 +1,39 @@
 package yqlib
 
-import lex "github.com/timtadh/lexmachine"
-
-func parseTree(tokens []*lex.Token, currentElement *PathElement, allElements []*PathElement) []*PathElement {
-	currentToken, remainingTokens := tokens[0], tokens[1:]
-
-	switch currentToken.Type {
-	case TokenIds["PATH_KEY"]:
-		currentElement.PathElementType = PathKey
-		currentElement.OperationType = None
-		currentElement.Value = currentToken.Value
-	}
-
-	if len(remainingTokens) == 0 {
-		return append(allElements, currentElement)
-	}
-	return parseTree(remainingTokens, &PathElement{}, append(allElements, currentElement))
+import "fmt"
 
+type PathTreeNode struct {
+	PathElement *PathElement
+	Lhs         *PathTreeNode
+	Rhs         *PathTreeNode
 }
 
-func ParseTree(tokens []*lex.Token) []*PathElement {
-	if len(tokens) == 0 {
-		return make([]*PathElement, 0)
-	}
-	return parseTree(tokens, &PathElement{}, make([]*PathElement, 0))
+type PathTreeCreator interface {
+	CreatePathTree([]*PathElement) (*PathTreeNode, error)
+}
+
+type pathTreeCreator struct {
+}
+
+func NewPathTreeCreator() PathTreeCreator {
+	return &pathTreeCreator{}
+}
+
+func (p *pathTreeCreator) CreatePathTree(postFixPath []*PathElement) (*PathTreeNode, error) {
+	var stack = make([]*PathTreeNode, 0)
+
+	for _, pathElement := range postFixPath {
+		var newNode = PathTreeNode{PathElement: pathElement}
+		if pathElement.PathElementType == Operation {
+			remaining, lhs, rhs := stack[:len(stack)-2], stack[len(stack)-2], stack[len(stack)-1]
+			newNode.Lhs = lhs
+			newNode.Rhs = rhs
+			stack = remaining
+		}
+		stack = append(stack, &newNode)
+	}
+	if len(stack) != 1 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("expected stack to have 1 thing but its %v", stack)
+	}
+	return stack[0], nil
 }