I can well remember picking up a Cessna 150 for the owner! the aircraft had not one bit of navigation kit available apart from the radio.
I took off VFR in VMC but seeing a front covering the hills decided to follow a river which I knew took me to within a mile of the destination field.
I took off with 1000 foot cloud base in light rain and approx 5000 meters in rain keeping the river below and on my left!
Soon the cloud was down to 600 feet and visibility down to 3000 meters.
Shortly after that I was down at 400 feet agl cloud base 400 feet in heavy rain vis approx 1500 meters.
Again i had the river on my left and knew by being over the river I would not hit anything.
I threw in the towel when I was again forced down to 200 feet visibility down to 700 meters and scud cloud below the aircraft.
Time to climb into IMC and the SSA which I did expecting a PAR into a military base.
I never took the PAR as I burst out of the front with 15 miles to run.
Yes we all do it at some point! or at least some of us do!
Some of us are even still here to tell the tale
Pace