Originally Posted by
N9373M
During initial climb out of a rural airport, the panel blocked the horizon and lost sight of all visual clues and had to "go on instruments".
This is fairly common in Southwestern AK during the winter. Flat light and ground blizzards can make the runway and all the surrounding terrain turn into one grey/white fuzz the moment you rotate. Even during the day it's important to expect to go on instruments the moment you rotate, and to know the precise path you need to fly in order to avoid terrain.
Whether one is in AK or the Lower 48, at night or during the day in marginal conditions it's a good idea to be prepared to go on instruments and to have a departure procedure planned.