Billy Blatty operates several diners and destination nightspots throughout Louisiana and Texas, which include the Ohm Lounge, Belle’s Diner, Beauty Bar, and the Barcadia bars. Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Billy Blatty enjoys mountain climbing and took to climbing Mount (Mt.) Kilimanjaro in East Africa in preparation for a hike up Mount Everest.
Mt. Kilimanjaro possesses an elevation of approximately 20,000 feet, making it the tallest mountain on the African continent and the tallest free-standing mountain worldwide. Additionally, it stands as one of the world’s most accessible summits, and most climbers can reach the crater rim with minimal gear. Its name is wreathed in mystery, possibly meaning Mountain of Light or Mountain of Greatness, among other possibilities. The local Wachagga people only have a name for the snowy peak at its summit, rather than one for the entire mountain.
As a dormant volcano, Mt. Kilimanjaro is comprised of three volcanic cones: Shira, Mawenzi, and Kibo. The extinct Shira and Mawenzi stand on either side of Kipo, the highest of the three peaks. Kipo last erupted 360,000 years ago and is considered dormant by geologists, although the last volcanic activity occurred 200 years ago and formed the ash pit visible from the mountain’s summit, Uhuru Peak atop Kipo. Furthermore, the mountain’s peak features nearly every kind of ecological system, including rain forest, cultivated land, moorland, alpine desert, heath, and the arctic summit.
