On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:28:24 -0400, Pixel Dent
wrote in :

On a recent flight I took the ceiling was about 4500' and
there was ice in the clouds, but the MEA was about 5000' due to some
hills which were easily avoidable VFR. If I had filed I would have been
forced into icing conditions instead of enjoying a safe VFR flight at
3500'.

That must have put within 500' of the surface terrain at some point.