Scotty McCreery and his longtime girlfriend, Gabi Dugal, got engaged on Sept. 26.

Scotty popped the question during a hike in the mountains of North Carolina near Grandfather Mountain. When the couple summited the mountain, Scotty got down on one knee, presented a ring he had helped design specifically for her, and asked Gabi to be his wife.

Scotty called in to morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck today (Sept. 29) to talk about his exciting proposal.

“I was nervous as crap, that was some scary stuff,” said Scotty with a laugh. “We have our little spot up in the mountains, and we go hike there a few times a year . . . and it’s not a long hike . . . it’s a 20-minute hike. The way she tells it, I got us up there in about five to 10 minutes because I was just hustling, ready to get up there. She was like, ‘Can I just get some water? I can’t breathe.’ And I was like, ‘Wait until we get up there, we’re all right.’ I was probably acting a little antsy. But once I got it all over with, it was great. We’re were on a mountain . . . and there was no place to kneel and I was like, ‘Aw, boy.’ But luckily she said yes.”

The couple met in kindergarten in Garner, N.C., and grew up together in the close-knit community. They began dating almost six years ago during their senior year at Garner High School. Gabi has appeared in several of Scotty’s music videos, including “The Trouble with Girls,” “Feelin’ It” and “Five More Minutes.”

“I did not have a speech or anything [prepared],” said Scotty. “I had the whole day planned, and the whole day went exactly as planned, but as far as what I said, I don’t exactly know what the heck I said. But I guess it wasn’t too bad.

“She had an idea it was gonna happen in that spot, so I think she was on high alert. But she was surprised her family showed up. Her sister lives in Oklahoma and is pregnant, so she didn’t think she’d get to see her until January of next year. We got the chance to fly her down and that really put the day over the top for Gabi.”

Gabi is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and currently works as a pediatric cardiac nurse at Duke University Hospital.

Congrats to the happy couple.