A MOONEY 20 PLT EXPERIENCES IMC IN VFR FLT IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE RISING TERRAIN ACCOMPANIED WITH LOWERING CLOUD CONDITIONS E OF PGY VOR; CA.

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I DEPARTED BROWN FIELD; (SDM) WITH 1 PAX AT APPROX AC15 NOV/XA/99; VFR; NEBOUND; DEST PRESCOTT; AZ. I HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING BY TELEPHONE FROM SAN FSS AT APPROX AB30. MY INTENDED RTE OF FLT WAS TO FLY DIRECT TO THE JULIAN VOR. AT THE TIME OF DEP IT APPEARED THAT VFR FLT TO CLR THE TERRAIN E AND NE OF BROWN FIELD WAS QUITE FEASIBLE. SHORTLY AFTER DEP; I CONTACTED SOCAL DEP ON FREQ 124.35 AND RECEIVED CLRNC INTO CLASS B AIRSPACE. IT APPEARED THAT THERE WAS SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION TO THE NE SO I ALTERED MY RTE TO JOIN V317 ON THE 069 DEG RADIAL FROM THE POGGI VOR AND LEVELED OUT AT 3500 FT MSL IN VMC WITH ADEQUATE TERRAIN CLRNC AND AT LEAST 10-20 MI VISIBILITY. ABOUT 10 NM E OF POGGI; WX CONDITIONS BEGAN TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY. SOCAL APCH ASKED IF I HAD THE HIGHER TERRAIN TO THE E IN SIGHT AND I RESPONDED THAT I HAD AND IT APPEARED THAT I COULD CLR IT; HOWEVER; WITH THE DETERIORATING CONDITIONS; I REQUESTED AN IFR CLB TO VFR ON TOP. SOCAL APCH RESPONDED THAT THEY WOULD BE UNABLE TO CLR ME TO DO THAT UNTIL I WAS 5 MI OR MORE TO THE NE OF MY POS. THE TERRAIN IN THAT DIRECTION WAS RAPIDLY BECOMING OBSCURED SO I DECIDED AGAINST THAT. SOCAL APCH ADVISED THAT I SHOULD TRY TO RETURN TO BROWN FIELD BUT A GLANCE BACKWARD INDICATED THAT THIS OPTION HAD CLOSED OFF. MY ONLY OPTION APPEARED TO BE TO TURN SWARD TOWARD LOWER TERRAIN WHICH I PROCEEDED TO DO. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY MY VISION BEGAN TO BE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS; SO I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO CLB TO THE S INTO IMC KNOWING THAT I WOULD CLR TERRAIN IN THAT DIRECTION AND ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS TO SOCAL APCH. SOCAL RESPONDED BY GIVING ME AN 'EMER' VECTOR TO 210 DEGS. SHORTLY I BROKE OUT OF IMC AT APPROX 4000 FT BTWN CLOUD LAYERS. IT WAS APPARENT THAT I WAS ALSO CLR OF THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN AT THAT POINT. SOCAL THEN CONTINUED TO CLR ME TO CLB IFR AND CONTINUED TO GIVE ME VECTORS TO A HDG OF 310 DEGS. SHORTLY I WAS VFR ON TOP AT 6500 FT. AT 7000 FT; SOCAL AUTH ME TO RESUME MY OWN NAV TO THE JULIAN VOR; WHICH I DID; CRUISING AT 9500 FT; AND COMPLETED MY TRIP SUCCESSFULLY. I BELIEVE THAT RAPIDLY DETERIORATING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS; WHICH WERE NOT ANTICIPATED IN MY WX BRIEFING NOR AT DEP CONTRIBUTED TO THE SIT OF MY BEING NEARLY TRAPPED IN IMC IN PROX TO RISING TERRAIN; AND THAT THE ACTION THAT I TOOK AS PIC WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE ACTION THAT COULD; AND DID; PREVENT A POTENTIALLY FATAL ACCIDENT; AND HAD TO BE DONE IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT IT WAS A DEV FROM FAR'S.