INEXPERIENCED PRIVATE PLT TAKES OFF FOR PLEASURE FLT IN C172 IN MARGINAL VISIBILITY AND FINDS HIMSELF SOLID IFR. ULTIMATELY GETS TALKED DOWN ON PAR APCH TO A MILITARY ARPT.

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RENTED A CESSNA 172 FOR WHAT STARTED OUT TO BE SOME NIGHT TOUCH AND GO'S. BEFORE DEPING; CALLED FOR A WX RPT; ALL LOCAL ARPTS RPTED ABOUT SAME; CEILING 800 FT; WHICH WOULD BE ABOVE LOCAL PATTERN BY 100 FT; AND 1 MI VISIBILITY. LOOKING AT THE SKY AROUND THE ARPT; THE PATTERN APPEARED TO BE SAFE AND CLR FOR SPECIAL VFR. AS SOON AS I BEGAN MY CLBOUT; AT ABOUT 1000 FT (ARPT ELEVATION 850 FT) LOST SIGHT OF RWY LIGHTS; ARPT; AND GND. COMPLETELY ENGULFED BY FOG; I LEVELED OFF AT 1200 FT CLR OF ANY OBSTACLES AROUND THE ARPT; AND BEGAN A STANDARD RATE TURN AROUND WHERE THE PATTERN SHOULD BE. I WAS HOPING TO FIND THE RWY; OR ANYTHING I RECOGNIZED TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE ARPT WAS. QUICKLY REALIZING I WASN'T GOING TO FIND ANYTHING WITHOUT FLYING LOWER; AND KNOWING OF SEVERAL OBSTACLES INCLUDING TWRS; PWR LINES; AND OIL RIGS AROUND OUR FIELD; I CONTACTED ZZZ1 TWR; TOLD THEM OF MY SIT; AND THEY TRIED TO FIND A LOCAL ARPT WITH VFR CONDITIONS. WITH NO LUCK FINDING VFR; I TOLD THEM I WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED; AND THEY DECLARED AN EMER; AND AFTER DIRECTING ME ON A SAFE ALT AND HDG; THEY HANDED ME OFF TO APCH. I TOLD APCH I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO GO TO ZZZ2; OR ZZZ3; AND I WANTED TO TRY AN INSTRUMENT APCH INTO ANY ARPT; AND ASKED IF THEY COULD GUIDE ME THROUGH IT. AT THAT POINT; THEY CONTACTED A MILFAC AND HANDED ME OFF TO ZZZ4 APCH; WHO THEN GUIDED ME IN ON A PRECISION RADAR APCH. ABOUT 1/8 MI OUT AND 150 FT UP; I SAW THE RWY AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG.