PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL ENTERED CLOUDS DURING A VFR XCOUNTRY FLT AND CONTACTED FAA FSS FOR ASSISTANCE. RPTR WAS GIVEN RADAR INSTRUCTIONS BY THE NEAREST APCH FACILITY TO VFR CONDITIONS WHERE THE FLT WAS CONTINUED UNEVENTFULLY TO DEST.

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ABOUT 1 HR BEFORE THE FLT BEGAN; I RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FOR MY RTE. WINDS; CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY WERE RECORDED FOR POINTS ALONG THE RTE. THE ENTIRE RTE WAS GIVEN AS VFR. THERE WAS A NOTE; HOWEVER; THAT THERE WAS FOG OVER JACKSON AND CONDITIONS THERE WERE IFR. AFTER THE BRIEFING; I NOTED JACKSON AS BEING ABOUT 30 MI N OF MY COURSE. I ALSO NOTED THE CEILINGS THERE WERE ABOUT 3000 FT. CEILINGS AROUND THE ARPT OF DEP WERE ABOUT 6000 FT. I CALLED BACK TO FILE MY FLT PLANS AND REGISTERED THE ENRTE ALT AT 4500 FT; WHICH WAS TO BE MY PRIMARY ALT. AFTER TKOF; I HAD OPENED MY FLT PLAN WITH LANSING FLT SVCS WHILE CONTINUING TO CLB TO 4500 FT. DURING THE BRIEF CLB; I NOTED MY FIRST CITY LIGHTS CHK POINT AT 9 O'CLOCK POS OUT MY WINDOW. BECAUSE OF THE EARLY HR; SUNRISE WAS ABOUT 1 HR AWAY AND VISIBILITY WAS QUITE GOOD. I COULD EASILY SEE MY SECOND CITY CHK POINT AS WELL AS OTHER CITY INDENTS I HAD CIRCLED ON MY SECTIONAL. I HAD DIALED IN THE WOLF LAKE VOR ON THE 235 DEG RADIAL. A FEW MINS MORE FLT AND THE 'TO' INDICATOR BECAME ACTIVE AND WITH VOLUME TURNED UP I COULD HEAR THE 'WOLF LAKE VOR' VOICE IN MY HEADSET. AT THIS POINT; ALL SYS WERE NOMINAL. THE AIR SMOOTH. THE ONLY TFC I OBSERVED WAS ABOUT 5 MI IN FRONT OF IN MY RELATIVE RTE AND SEVERAL THOUSAND FT ABOVE XING ON ABOUT A 090 DEG HDG. ABOUT 45 MINS INTO THE FLT; WHILE LOOKING DOWN FOR MY NEXT CHK POINT I NOTICED THAT GND LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLICKER. WHEN I LOOKED UP; THE WINDSCREEN WAS GRAY. WHEN I LOOKED DOWN; ALL LIGHTS HAD VANISHED. I WAS IN A CLOUD. I CHKED ALL INSTS NOTING THAT A HDG OF ABOUT 060 DEGS WAS MY 180 DEGS. I CONFIRMED THAT I WAS STILL TRACKING THE WOLF LAKE VOR. I HAD NOT EXPECTED TO ENCOUNTER THIS CLOUD; BUT HERE IT WAS. I TOOK ONE LAST LOOK AT THE WINDSCREEN TO CONFIRM NO VISIBILITY; AND SAW 2 SMALL PATCHES OF ICE HAD FORMED AT THE 10 AND 12 O'CLOCK POS ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE VISIBILITY (OR LACK THEREOF) AT THIS POINT SEEMED THE LEAST OF MY PROBS. I ASSESSED THAT (ACCORDING TO TRAINING) I SHOULD CLB TO A HIGHER ALT. THAT; AS I RECALL; WAS PREFERRED TO DSNDING; ALTHOUGH EACH WOULD PROBABLY WORK. IF; HOWEVER; I CLBED AND EXITED THE CLOUD; I WOULD STILL HAVE NO GND REF. I REMEMBER CHKING MY VOR AND WAS THANKFUL FOR THE 3+ HRS OF IFR TRAINING I HAD RECEIVED. THE ICE WAS NOT BUILDING. AND A 180 DEG TURN TO 060 DEGS WAS NOW CONSIDERED; YET I REMEMBERED THAT I HAD FLOWN THROUGH SOMETHING THAT DEPOSITED ICE ON THE WINDSCREEN AND DID NOT WANT TO RE- ENCOUNTER THAT EVENT. WHAT TO DO? I CALLED LANSING FLT SVCS AND RPTED WHO I WAS; WHERE I WAS; AND THAT I HAD NO VISIBILITY WITH ICE THAT HAD FORMED ON THE WINDSCREEN. I ALSO REMEMBER TELLING THAT I WAS ONLY VFR CERTIFIED. I ASKED FOR A RPT ON THE EXTENT OF THIS CLOUD; AND WHICH DIRECTION WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO EXIT; AND RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS. LANSING ASKED ME TO CONFIRM THAT I WAS FLYING ON INSTS AND HAD A VFR FLT PLAN. I RESPONDED AFFIRMATIVELY. MY FIRST DIRECTIVE FROM LANSING WAS TO 'IMMEDIATELY DSND TO 2500 FT.' I FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS AND FOUND THAT ONCE AGAIN I COULD SEE GND. THERE WAS; HOWEVER; A PATCHY LOW LEVEL CLOUD LAYER THAT PREVENTED A CONSTANT CLR VIEW OF LANDMARKS. I RPTED THE DSCNT HAD BEEN FOLLOWED; AND NOTED THAT I STILL WAS FOLLOWING THE WOLF LAKE 235 DEG RADIAL. I WAS NEXT INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT KALAMAZOO APCH. I DID SO. KALAMAZOO GAVE ME A SQUAWK FREQ WHICH I IMMEDIATELY DIALED IN. KALAMAZOO RPTED THAT THEY HAD ME ON RADAR. I RPTED THAT I WAS STILL ABLE TO FOLLOW THE WOLF LAKE VOR; AND STILL HAD ICE REMAINING ON MY WINDSCREEN; ALTHOUGH WITH A COUPLE OF MINS AFTER MY RPT; THE ICE BEGAN TO MELT. ON MY SECOND VOR I DIALED UP THE BOILER VOR. AS I APCHED THE WOLF LAKE VOR; I HAD A SIGNAL FROM BOILER. AT THIS TIME THERE WAS NO LOWER LAYER CLOUD/FOG. ALL GND REF POINTS COULD EASILY BE IDENTED AND SUPPORTED ON MY FLT PLAN AND CHICAGO SECTIONAL. I FOLLOWED THE BOILER VOR ON THE 240 DEG RADIAL. A FEW MINS LATER; I DIALED IN THE CHAMPAIGN VORTAC ON MY FIRST VOR ABANDONING THE WOLF LAKE 'FROM' READING.