SMA PLT ON FLT FOLLOWING ENTERS IMC AND REQUESTS ASSISTANCE. UNWITTINGLY FLIES IFR WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF AN INST RATING. ATC GIVES FLT ASSIST.

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I HAD A FLT FROM PLB TO ASH. MY DEP TIME WAS AT XD00 INSTEAD OF XA00. ARRIVED AT ASH IN THE AFTERNOON. UPON LEAVING ASH I DID NOT CALL FOR AN UPDATE ON THE WX; AND DEPARTED ASH WITH MY BRIEFING FROM THE MORNING; WHICH HAD RESULTED IN HAVING TO LEAVE ASH BY XH00 PM TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN VFR ON MY RETURN TRIP TO PLB. I WAS ABOUT 30 MINS ENRTE; 55 MI OR SO N OF ASH WHEN I RAN INTO PROBS. I HAD MY HEAD DOWN TRYING TO PROGRAM A GPS; WHICH WAS LENT TO ME; AND GOT STUCK IN A CLOUD WITH POOR VISIBILITY. EVERY TIME I HAD TO MAKE A RADIO CALL I HAD TO UNPLUG THE GPS AND PLUG IN THE MIKE. WHEN THE GPS WAS PLUGGED BACK IN I HAD TO REPROGRAM IT EVERY TIME WHICH TOOK SOMETIMES UP TO 5 MINS OR MORE; BECAUSE OF MY LACK OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE GPS. THEREFORE I WAS NOT SURE WHEN I GOT IN THE CLOUD. I REMEMBER BEING AT 3400 FT AND THAT THE TERRAIN WAS 4500 FT IN THAT AREA AND I WOULD HAVE TO CLB. I TRIED A 180 DEG TURN AND IT DID NOT SEEM TO WORK SO I PITCHED UP AND STARTED CLBING. I CONTACTED ZBW WHICH I WAS RECEIVING FLT FOLLOWING FROM AND ASKED FOR CLRNC TO LEB. THEY DID ASK IF I WAS IFR ABLE AND IF THE PLANE WAS AND I DID SAY AFFIRMATIVE THINKING THAT I HAD TRAINING UPON ACQUIRING MY PVT IN IFR AND THAT YES THE PLANE HAD INSTS IN WHICH I COULD FLY IFR IF I HAD TO IN EMER SITS. THEN THE CTLR GAVE A CLRNC AND AT THE TIME I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS INDEED RECEIVING AN IFR CLRNC. I WAS TOLD TO FLY A HDG AND ALT OF 6000 FT. I GOT TO 5900 FT AND TOLD THE CTLR THAT I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING ICING AND DID NOT WANT TO FLY 6000 FT AND THAT I DID NOT WANT TO FLY IFR I WANTED TO FLY VFR. HE STATED; MA'AM YOU DON'T WANT TO FLY IFR BUT YOU WANT TO MAKE IT TO LEB AND IT'S IFR IN LEB. I CAN'T DO THAT. I HAD REPEATED THAT I DID NOT WANT TO FLY IFR AND WANTED TO FLY VFR. HE SAID HE COULDN'T DO THAT. HE SAID HE COULD TAKE ME BACK TO ASH IF I WANTED OR LCI. WHEN I TRIED TO FIND LCI ON THE MAP I COULD NOT; SO THEREFORE I ASKED WHERE IT WAS. I SAID WHAT IS THE CLOSEST. HE SAID LCI. SO I SAID YES THAT IS WHERE I WANTED TO GO. I STILL HAD 3 HRS OF FUEL BUT WANTED TO GO TO THE CLOSEST ARPT. WHEN I HAD LCI IN SIGHT I LANDED AND IT WAS FINE VFR. I CLOSED MY FLT PLAN AND THEY ASKED IF I WANTED TO CLOSE MY IFR FLT PLAN AND I SAID I GUESS SO; NOT REALIZING THAT I HAD OPENED ONE UNTIL THAT MOMENT. I THOUGHT THAT THE CTLR WAS JUST HELPING ME OUT OF MY SIT. NEXT I CALLED FOR A BRIEFING FROM LCI TO PWM WHERE IT WAS PERFECT VFR WX; AND FLEW TO PWM AND SECURED THE PLANE FOR THE NIGHT. I'M SURE THERE WERE MANY OTHER THINGS WHICH HAPPENED THAT I CANNOT RECOLLECT BECAUSE IT WAS ALL SO FAST AND I WAS JUST CONCENTRATING ON FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND MAINTAINING MY ALT AND HDG.