After spending 63 days handcycling across the United States (and raising $50,000 for the Semper Fi Fund along the way), wounded veteran Toran Gaal has finally reached the finish line.

“I want to show everybody what the human body is capable of,” Gaal said. “I want to use (the journey) as a beacon of hope.”

For this Marine veteran and double amputee, the road to recovery could only be conquered with his own two hands. A roadside bomb in Afghanistan not only resulted in the amputation of Gaal’s legs, but also his right hip. Despite the complications preventing him from adopting prosthetics, Gaal literally muscled through by taking up handcycling.

A handbike is a sit-down bicycle operated by cranking the pedals with hands instead of feet. Gaal completed four handcycling marathons before embarking on his 4,000 mile journey on June 1. He starting handcycling in San Diego, CA, and kept cranking over high-altitude mountains and across vast plains until he reached Arlington, VA. To make his goal, Gaal cycled for eight to ten hours a day at a brisk 12 mph. The entire journey took place during the hottest months of the year.

“The toughest thing was getting over the Rocky Mountains,” Gaal said. “It was really just kind of one crank at a time.”