diff --git a/trie/encoding.go b/trie/encoding.go
index 9c862d78fa..005e8eae81 100644
--- a/trie/encoding.go
+++ b/trie/encoding.go
@@ -16,13 +16,20 @@
 
 package trie
 
+// This file implements a codec to convert between byte arrays
+// and nibble (half-byte) arrays, where the latter are used for traversing the trie.
+// Hence the "compact" encoded form for a key is as the byte array, which
+// is (roughly) half the length of the decoded nibble array.
+// Nibble arrays for keys that represent leaf nodes have a terminator flag (numerical 16) appended to the end.
+// The compact encoded form uses Hex Prefix (HP) encoding, to encode the terminator status
+// and whether the key length is even or odd in the first two bytes (note the original description uses only
+// one byte, but that's inconvenient)
+
+// Encode a slice of nibbles into a HP byte array
 func CompactEncode(hexSlice []byte) []byte {
 	terminator := 0
 	if hexSlice[len(hexSlice)-1] == 16 {
 		terminator = 1
-	}
-
-	if terminator == 1 {
 		hexSlice = hexSlice[:len(hexSlice)-1]
 	}
 
@@ -42,12 +49,16 @@ func CompactEncode(hexSlice []byte) []byte {
 	return buf
 }
 
-func CompactDecode(str []byte) []byte {
-	base := CompactHexDecode(str)
-	base = base[:len(base)-1]
-	if base[0] >= 2 {
-		base = append(base, 16)
+// Decode a HP encoded byte array into a nibble array
+// with terminator flag if applicable
+func CompactDecode(key []byte) []byte {
+	base := CompactHexDecode(key) // appends the terminator flag by default
+	if base[0] < 2 {
+		// remove the terminator flag if its not in the HP
+		base = base[:len(base)-1]
 	}
+
+	// HP tells us if key length is even or odd
 	if base[0]%2 == 1 {
 		base = base[1:]
 	} else {
@@ -57,10 +68,13 @@ func CompactDecode(str []byte) []byte {
 	return base
 }
 
-func CompactHexDecode(str []byte) []byte {
-	l := len(str)*2 + 1
+// Decode a byte array into a nibble array.
+// Assumes the key coressponds to a terminator node (ie appends 16)
+// CompactHexDecode is called immediately by the Get/Update/Remove functions.
+func CompactHexDecode(key []byte) []byte {
+	l := len(key)*2 + 1
 	var nibbles = make([]byte, l)
-	for i, b := range str {
+	for i, b := range key {
 		nibbles[i*2] = b / 16
 		nibbles[i*2+1] = b % 16
 	}
@@ -68,12 +82,13 @@ func CompactHexDecode(str []byte) []byte {
 	return nibbles
 }
 
-func DecodeCompact(key []byte) []byte {
-	l := len(key) / 2
+// This is really a compact encoding of nibbles
+// without hex-prefix
+func DecodeCompact(nibbles []byte) []byte {
+	l := len(nibbles) / 2
 	var res = make([]byte, l)
 	for i := 0; i < l; i++ {
-		v1, v0 := key[2*i], key[2*i+1]
-		res[i] = v1*16 + v0
+		res[i] = 16*nibbles[2*i] + nibbles[2*i+1]
 	}
 	return res
 }
diff --git a/trie/fullnode.go b/trie/fullnode.go
index 8ff019ec43..de09fd17f3 100644
--- a/trie/fullnode.go
+++ b/trie/fullnode.go
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@
 
 package trie
 
+// FullNode represents the main node type for a radix tree.
+// The first 16 children are branches for each possible next letter in the key.
+// The final slot is for a terminating node (a ValueNode), whose key ends at the FullNode.
 type FullNode struct {
 	trie  *Trie
 	nodes [17]Node
diff --git a/trie/hashnode.go b/trie/hashnode.go
index d4a0bc7ec9..675bf32040 100644
--- a/trie/hashnode.go
+++ b/trie/hashnode.go
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ package trie
 
 import "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 
+// HashNode represents a node that is too big to be a ShortNode.
+// The actual node of interest (probably a FullNode) is rlp encoded and hashed,
+// yielding the key of the HashNode. The key can be used to fetch the actual
+// node from the database
 type HashNode struct {
 	key   []byte
 	trie  *Trie
diff --git a/trie/node.go b/trie/node.go
index 9d49029ded..bda39b5bd5 100644
--- a/trie/node.go
+++ b/trie/node.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ type Node interface {
 	Copy(*Trie) Node // All nodes, for now, return them self
 	Dirty() bool
 	fstring(string) string
-	Hash() interface{}
+	Hash() interface{} // only really a hash if size(node) > 32
 	RlpData() interface{}
 	setDirty(dirty bool)
 }
diff --git a/trie/shortnode.go b/trie/shortnode.go
index 569d5f1096..c27d35ba68 100644
--- a/trie/shortnode.go
+++ b/trie/shortnode.go
@@ -18,9 +18,12 @@ package trie
 
 import "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 
+// ShortNode holds the nibble key for a ValueNode, HashNode, or FullNode.
+// Note a ShortNode should never hold another ShortNode, as they can just
+// be combined into one ShortNode
 type ShortNode struct {
 	trie  *Trie
-	key   []byte
+	key   []byte // hex-prefixed bytes
 	value Node
 	dirty bool
 }
@@ -30,7 +33,6 @@ func NewShortNode(t *Trie, key []byte, value Node) *ShortNode {
 }
 func (self *ShortNode) Value() Node {
 	self.value = self.trie.trans(self.value)
-
 	return self.value
 }
 func (self *ShortNode) Dirty() bool { return self.dirty }
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ func (self *ShortNode) Hash() interface{} {
 	return self.trie.store(self)
 }
 
+// returns nibbles
 func (self *ShortNode) Key() []byte {
 	return CompactDecode(self.key)
 }
diff --git a/trie/trie.go b/trie/trie.go
index abf48a8509..e08fb3bf6e 100644
--- a/trie/trie.go
+++ b/trie/trie.go
@@ -358,6 +358,7 @@ func (self *Trie) mknode(value *common.Value) Node {
 	return NewValueNode(self, value.Bytes())
 }
 
+// resolve HashNodes by fetching from the db
 func (self *Trie) trans(node Node) Node {
 	switch node := node.(type) {
 	case *HashNode:
diff --git a/trie/valuenode.go b/trie/valuenode.go
index 0afa64d54c..85cfc8a4af 100644
--- a/trie/valuenode.go
+++ b/trie/valuenode.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ package trie
 
 import "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 
+// ValueNode represents a leaf node, a terminal point in the tree.
+// It is implied that if you found the ValueNode, then you know its key
 type ValueNode struct {
 	trie  *Trie
 	data  []byte