diff --git a/cmd/commands_test.go b/cmd/commands_test.go
index 7a0e7199..925f45ec 100644
--- a/cmd/commands_test.go
+++ b/cmd/commands_test.go
@@ -293,6 +293,20 @@ func TestReadMergeAnchorsExplodeJsonCmd(t *testing.T) {
 	test.AssertResult(t, expectedOutput, result.Output)
 }
 
+func TestReadMergeAnchorsExplodeSimpleCmd(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd := getRootCommand()
+	result := test.RunCmd(cmd, "read -X ../examples/simple-anchor.yaml")
+	if result.Error != nil {
+		t.Error(result.Error)
+	}
+	expectedOutput := `foo:
+  a: 1
+foobar:
+  a: 1
+`
+	test.AssertResult(t, expectedOutput, result.Output)
+}
+
 func TestReadMergeAnchorsExplodeCmd(t *testing.T) {
 	cmd := getRootCommand()
 	result := test.RunCmd(cmd, "read -X ../examples/merge-anchor.yaml")
diff --git a/examples/simple-anchor.yaml b/examples/simple-anchor.yaml
index c83b2dcf..35218bbd 100644
--- a/examples/simple-anchor.yaml
+++ b/examples/simple-anchor.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 foo: &foo
   a: 1
 
-foobar: *foo
\ No newline at end of file
+foobar: 
+  <<: *foo
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
index 0a053b7c..92da9a59 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
@@ -98,7 +98,6 @@ func (n *navigator) recurseMap(value *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pat
 		log.Debug("recurseMap: visitMatchingEntries for %v", contents[indexInMap].Value)
 		n.navigationStrategy.DebugVisitedNodes()
 		newPathStack := append(pathStack, contents[indexInMap].Value)
-		n.navigationStrategy.DebugVisitedNodes()
 		log.Debug("should I traverse? head: %v, path: %v", head, pathStackToString(newPathStack))
 		DebugNode(value)
 		if n.navigationStrategy.ShouldTraverse(NewNodeContext(contents[indexInMap+1], head, tail, newPathStack), contents[indexInMap].Value) {
@@ -172,10 +171,10 @@ func (n *navigator) visitAliases(contents []*yaml.Node, head string, tail []stri
 	// a node can either be
 	// an alias to one other node (e.g. <<: *blah)
 	// or a sequence of aliases   (e.g. <<: [*blah, *foo])
-	log.Debug("checking for aliases")
+	log.Debug("checking for aliases, head: %v, pathstack: %v", head, pathStackToString(pathStack))
 	for index := len(contents) - 2; index >= 0; index = index - 2 {
 
-		if contents[index+1].Kind == yaml.AliasNode {
+		if contents[index+1].Kind == yaml.AliasNode && contents[index].Value == "<<" {
 			valueNode := contents[index+1]
 			log.Debug("found an alias")
 			DebugNode(contents[index])