A C206 PLT; IN TRYING TO TOP WX AND STAY VFR; ENTERED CLASS A AIRSPACE (PCA) WITHOUT A CLRNC.

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AT THIS POINT; UNBELIEVABLY AT THE TIME; LARGE WISPS OF CLOUDS APPEARED IN THE WINDSCREEN. I CLBED. MORE WISPS; HIGHER NOW. I PULLED THE NOSE UP; THE STALL WARNING HORN BEEPED JUST A SHORT BURST -- AND I SAW THE 75 KTS ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR AND SHOVED THE NOSE DOWN. NOW THE WISPS WERE GETTING SERIOUSLY IN MY WAY OF REMAINING VFR. I CLBED; AND WAS THEN FORCED TO CLB AGAIN. I SAW FL180 COMING UP ON THE ALTIMETER AND I KNEW I COULD NOT REMAIN VFR WITHOUT BREACHING THAT ALT. NOW I WAS VERY; VERY RATTLED; PERHAPS A BIT PANICKED; BUT I HATE TO USE THAT TERM. MORE QUICKLY DEVELOPING CLOUDS -- IN ALL QUADRANTS NOW -- SOME OF THEM VERY; VERY DARK. THEY HAD NOT EXISTED BEFORE THIS MOMENT; NOR WERE ANY OF THEM SO HIGH. GONE WAS MY OPTIMISM -- MY SIT NOW WAS BECOMING GRAVE. NO TIME FOR DIGGING OUT FREQS; NO TIME FOR LOOKING AT CHARTS. THEN I SPOTTED THE CYLINDER HEAD TEMPS -- MUCH HIGHER THAN I'D EVER SEEN BEFORE -- THE OIL TEMP; TOO; WAS HIGH NOW. AS I TRIED TO INTERP WHAT THIS NEW INFO MEANT; I REALIZED I WAS BEING PUSHED FURTHER ABOVE FL180. I WAS NOW TRAPPED WITH THE ONLY OPTION BEING TO AVOID GOING HARD IFR IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITHOUT A CLRNC. BY NOW I BEGAN TO BELIEVE THAT THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS COULD BE JUST BELOW; IN THE CLOUDS OFF THE NOSE. ANY NOTION OF JUST HOW HIGH THE MOUNTAINS IN THIS AREA MIGHT BE BECAME SUSPECT. IN REALITY I WAS NOW WELL ABOVE THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE AREA; BUT I COULD NOT QUITE APPRECIATE THAT FACT AT THE MOMENT. I STAYED VFR; BUT ONLY BY RAISING THE NOSE JUST ENOUGH TO STAY OUT OF THE DEVELOPING CUMULOUS MASS. I COULD NOT QUITE BELIEVE THIS COULD BE HAPPENING TO US -- IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON; HEATING AND RISING AIR SHOULD BE SUBSIDING NOW. WHAT HAD GONE WRONG? I HAD RATTLED MYSELF SO MUCH NOW THAT I COULD NOT SORT OUT MY OPTIONS EFFECTIVELY. I BEGAN TO OBSESS WITH THE ALTIMETER MOMENTARILY AND THEN REALIZED THAT I WAS SIMPLY IN POTENTIALLY SERIOUS TROUBLE -- I WAS 1000 FT INTO THE CONTINENTAL CTL ZONE; VFR; AND NO CLRNC. I GLANCED AT MY XPONDER -- IT WAS ON AND SQUAWKING -- AT LEAST I COULD BE CLRLY SEEN AS AN IDIOT UP WHERE HE DID NOT BELONG. JUST THEN; I SAW THE 'REAL' LOW TERRAIN; NOT THE 'SUCKER TERRAIN' THAT LIES BTWN THE 2 MAIN RIDGES OF MOUNTAINS. I HAD JUST CROSSED THE SANGRE DE CHRISTOS; AND I NOW SAW THE OBJECT OF MY DESIRE -- THE LOWER TERRAIN STRETCHING OUT ONTO THE FLATLANDS. I NEARLY DOVE FOR IT; THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS NOW DROPPING OFF SHARPLY. I TOOK MY FIRST DEEP BREADTH AS THE ALTIMETER BEGAN TO UNWIND RAPIDLY. I UNWOUND IT ALL THE WAY TO ABOUT 9000 FT AND FELT MY NORMAL SENSES RETURNING TO ME. I CANNOT BE SURE HOW LONG I WAS IN THIS AWFUL SIT; SO HIGH -- TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL.