[at-l] Frozen Water----Antifreeze?

[tjfort@netdoor.com (t.)]

kahley7 wrote:
> 
> Would a small..repeat small amount of alcohol prevent
> freezing?  I mean, would, say, a half ounce of gin per lire prevent freezing
> without hiker harm?  Hmmm.......


this brings up an interesting thing i learned over christmas.  I was
having a very similar discussion on alcohol and freezing with my sister
in law.  I was commenting on how EVERYTHING I carried froze except for
the crown royal.  And, I couldn't drink that for fear of the results it
has on your blood and body temp.  she pointed out that yes alcohol has a
much lower freezing point than water.  which means that it can reach
temperatures much lower than water.  drinking slushy water may be
uncomfortable, but, it will still be no colder than 32*F (until after it
changes state to ice, of course).  where as the liquor will be at what
ever the ambient temperature is.  so I would have been putting fluids in
my body that were at 0*F.


t.