diff --git a/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/HuffNode.java b/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/HuffNode.java
index 43b83ab..9f089d4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/HuffNode.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/HuffNode.java
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ public class HuffNode {
      * search down the tree, for the node,
      * at address of String bits, on HuffNode trie
      */
-    public HuffNode findByBits(HuffNode trie, String bits) {
+    private HuffNode findByBits(HuffNode trie, String bits) {
         if (bits.length() == 0) {
             return trie;
         }
@@ -138,6 +138,40 @@ public class HuffNode {
         return null;
     }
 
+    public String getBitPath(Object need) {
+        return getBitPath(this, need);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * get a String of the bits, that map to Object need
+     */
+    private String getBitPath(HuffNode trie, Object need) {
+        HuffNode left = trie.getLeft();
+        HuffNode right = trie.getRight();
+        if (left != null && left.getValue() != null) {
+            if (need.equals(left.getValue())) {
+                return "0";
+            }
+        }
+        if (right != null && right.getValue() != null) {
+            if (need.equals(right.getValue())) {
+                return "1";
+            }
+        }
+        if (left != null) {
+            String leftPath = getBitPath(left, need);
+            if (leftPath.length() > 0) {
+                return "0" + leftPath;
+            }
+        }
+        if (right != null) {
+            String rightPath = getBitPath(right, need);
+            if (rightPath.length() > 0) {
+                return "1" + rightPath;
+            }
+        }
+        return "";
+    }
     /**
      * pretty information
      */
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/PathTree.java b/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/PathTree.java
index c1a3c7d..5476cec 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/PathTree.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/redhat/trie/PathTree.java
@@ -655,13 +655,13 @@ public class PathTree {
             baos.write(nodeSize);
         }
         StringBuffer bits = new StringBuffer();
-        String endNodeLocation = findHuffPath(stringParent, HuffNode.END_NODE);
+        String endNodeLocationBitPath = stringParent.getBitPath(HuffNode.END_NODE);
         for (PathNode pn : pathNodes) {
             for (NodePair np : pn.getChildren()) {
-                bits.append(findHuffPath(stringParent, np.getName()));
-                bits.append(findHuffPath(pathNodeParent, np.getConnection()));
+                bits.append(stringParent.getBitPath(np.getName()));
+                bits.append(pathNodeParent.getBitPath(np.getConnection()));
             }
-            bits.append(endNodeLocation);
+            bits.append(endNodeLocationBitPath);
             while (bits.length() >= 8) {
                 int next = 0;
                 for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
@@ -724,34 +724,6 @@ public class PathTree {
         return result;
     }
 
-    private String findHuffPath(HuffNode trie, Object need) {
-        HuffNode left = trie.getLeft();
-        HuffNode right = trie.getRight();
-        if (left != null && left.getValue() != null) {
-            if (need.equals(left.getValue())) {
-                return "0";
-            }
-        }
-        if (right != null && right.getValue() != null) {
-            if (need.equals(right.getValue())) {
-                return "1";
-            }
-        }
-        if (left != null) {
-            String leftPath = findHuffPath(left, need);
-            if (leftPath.length() > 0) {
-                return "0" + leftPath;
-            }
-        }
-        if (right != null) {
-            String rightPath = findHuffPath(right, need);
-            if (rightPath.length() > 0) {
-                return "1" + rightPath;
-            }
-        }
-        return "";
-    }
-
     /**
      * given a tokenized URL path, build out the PathNode parent,
      * and append endMarker to terminal nodes.